Horseman-1 Xander gets a job.
by dkerr
Summary: Xander gets a Job and the whole gang becomes involved
1. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer. Characters belong to Joss Whedon and Fox tv, etc. Used without permission  
Title" Horsemen1-Xander gets a job  
feedback: Would be nice.  
******************************Xander Harris grabbed his tray and wove his way through the crowded cafeteria to a small table over in a sparsely occupied corner of the room. Not that he was looking for the solo experience, but that was where Buffy and Willow were seated and he so wanted to talk to them. Besides, he hadn't seen them since last spring.  
  
"Hey," he said, putting his tray down beside Willow. "Mind if I sit here." Without waiting for an answer, he hooked the chair out with a foot, and sat.  
  
"Xander," smiled Willow. "When did you get back, you didn't call."  
  
"Yeah, you should have," grinned Buffy. "I thought this cafeteria was for, you know, actual students."  
  
"Hey, I am a student," Xander protested. "Signed up this morning, a full slate of courses."  
  
"Oh," said Willow. "Oh, good. I think. I called your Mom last week, she didn't know where you were, or when you'd be back. You're here now, and in school, and you don't have the money, or at least you didn't when you left, and a week isn't long enough to get a student loan..."  
  
"Will, its all paid for."  
  
"It is, how?"  
  
I got a job, which came with two conditions. One, I live where I work, and two I take a full load of classes at the University of California, Sunnydale campus."  
  
"Xander," Buffy didn't know whether to be amused or exasperated. 'People don't get jobs like that."  
  
"I did, and that's why I need to talk to you. I think I'm getting into something weird. Hellmouth weird."  
  
"Figures," Buffy sighed. "Where is this job, and what do you do?"  
  
"I got back a little over a week ago, I wasn't ready to go home, and I knew you guys would try to talk me into going back, that's why I didn't call, I couldn't face them yet. So I did the homeless thing, sleeping in my car..."  
  
"You slept in your car," Willow interjected.  
  
"I did it lots this summer, life on the open roads etc. Gives you a whole new perspective on what's important. Anyway, I'm curling up in my sleeping bag, when some guy starts rapping on my windshield. I figured it was a cop, who was going to tell me to move on, even though I wasn't blocking anything, or anywhere near Cordy's place. Only its a guy, about my age, who asks if I was Alexander Harris. I said yes, and he said he had a job, if I was interested. He told me what it pays, that a place to live is included in the offer, and I'd have to go back to school here. He said he didn't know how long the job would be available, and he wasn't going to screw up some kids life, when he should be getting ready for the future."  
  
"So you took it."  
  
"Yeah, I took it." Xander stared at his tray, speared a stringy bit of lettuce with a fork, and popped it into his mouth. This guy, Nathaniel Carpenter, lives on an old horse farm, just north of here, up on a hill. You can see all the lights of town from up there, you've really got to come out and see it sometime, and the stars..."  
  
"Xander, the job," prodded Buffy.  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm sort of a handyman, do all sorts of jobs, whatever needs done. No animals though. They got this big old red barn, and some one had built a suite into the side, that's where I live.   
  
The only other person there is Meg, the Housekeeper, only she doesn't look anything like a Housekeeper. Young, back hair, eyes, beautiful."  
  
"And the weird part is..."  
  
"That all this would be happening to me," Xander said, a dreamy look in his eyes. He shook himself. "She owns the place you know."  
  
"No we don't know," snapped Buffy rolling her eyes.  
  
"They had me over for supper last night. After which, h calls me into his den, and gives me an advance on my first pay cheque. He also gives me another cheque to give to the school, for my courses. Anyway, while he gets them out, I'm looking around, and seeing a lot of books. Like Giles has, on demons and stuff. I look back on his desk and I see a letter with your name on it." Xander reached into a pocket, and pulls out a folded piece of paper.  
  
"You took the letter," said Willow.  
  
"Hey, if its about us..."   
  
Buffy snatched the letter, glanced at it, and passed it to Willow. "Can't read anything but my name."  
  
"That's because its written in Italian, which I can read. A little." Willow peered at the letter. "Its a report to a Signor Bartholomew, at some Academy in Florence. He knows that you're the Slayer, and we help, but he hasn't met us yet...but he wants to. He signs himself, Nathaniel Carpenter, Magus."  
  
"That's like a wise man," asked Buffy.  
  
"He's a magic user, like me." Willow told her. "Except he's much better. If he really is a Magus."  
  
"So a Magus is at the top of the Magick user pyramid."  
  
Willow nodded her agreement, eyes peering at some small print on the paper. "Hey, he's got a web page, maybe I can hack through that. Anyone can do it, well maybe Buffy can't but I could."  
  
Buffy would have protested that, but was too lost in the unfairness of it all.  
  
**********************************************************  
  
"Giles," Buffy stood outside her Watcher's apartment door staring up at her disheveled Watcher. "We got a problem."  
  
"Buffy, it's ah three in the morning. Can't this wait."  
  
"No, Giles, it can't." Buffy pushed her way past Giles, into the living room. Where she placed her pack onto the coffee table, reaching into it and pulling out an enormous looking frog.  
  
"This is Willow."  
  
"What," Giles wasn't sure he could believe what he was hearing.  
  
"He turned Willow into a frog."  
  
"A toad actually..."  
  
"Ewww," squealed Buffy dropping the creature onto her bag hastily. "A toad, a frog was bad enough. Now I'm gong to be all warty and..."  
  
"Buffy," Giles snapped. "What happened. To Willow I mean."  
  
"You know that letter we gave you last night, by this magoo guy?"  
  
"Uh yes."  
  
"Well it had a web address, and Willow thought she could hack into his computer if she could get to it. So she did last night. Only while she was downloading files from his computer, he was getting files from hers, a sort of reverse hack. Only, she didn't know that until she was finished, and it really wigged her. I mean she totally lost it. Threatened to turn him into frog, and started chanting. I never saw her like that, and by the time I could think to stop her, it was too late. It was a really short spell." Buffy took a deep breath.  
  
"There was this flash of light, and there was nothing left of Willow, except for a pile of clothes on the floor where she'd been standing. And this, uh, toad crawled out of them." Buffy shuddered. "I had to chase her around the room to catch her, so I could bring her here"  
  
"She tried to turn a Magus into a frog?" Giles inspected the creature, who inspected him back. "I suspect he turned her spell back onto her."  
  
"Precisely what I did," I said from the doorway, startling the pair. Buffy launched herself at me.   
  
I lifted a finger, she stopped. I raised the finger some more, and pushed. She rose into the air, and floated back, to where I deposited her on the couch.  
  
"If you hadn't moved her, I wouldn't have had to come looking for you."  
  
"Sorry for the inconvenience."  
  
"No need to apologize, I knew you'd bring here here. "I don't suppose you brought some clothing for her. Did you?"  
  
"Clothes??"  
  
"For when I change her back. Of course some Wiccans go skyclad, but something should be handy. Just in case."  
  
"I'll get something." Giles moved to his closet, and brought out a rain coat, that would cover her nicely. He moved slowly, never once taking his eyes off me. I could feel magick in him, and he was prepared to use it. I appreciated his caution, unnecessary as it was, to say nothing of futile. He passed the coat to Buffy, who inched closer to the toad.  
  
"Ready," I nodded. "or not." There was a flash of light and the toad became Willow again. Buffy hurriedly wrapped Willow in the coat, and ushered her over to the couch. I assured myself that all was well, then turned to leave.  
  
"You were in my computer," a sharp voice came from behind me.   
  
Personally, I would have thought the toad thing would be uppermost.  
  
"Willow..." Giles tried to caution her.  
  
"No matter," I said and turned to face the hot tempered red head. "You hacked through my web page didn't you?"  
  
She nodded, not expending the energy needed to deny it.  
  
"When you did so, you activated a little program I wrote. It keeps track of the callers who look at my web page. It also captures the keystrokes coming in through my connection, puts them into word groupings, and compares them against my directory. Should it suspect that I'm being hacked, it traces the connection back, and retrieves files from that computer." I shrugged. "Seems fair to me."  
  
Obviously she didn't. She started to get up, I made a sound like a toad, she sat back down again.  
  
"As for the toad thing. As I told Mr. Giles, I merely reversed your spell back onto you."  
  
I waved a cheery goodbye, and once again headed for the door. This time I made it without interruption, and I had cloaked myself with a spell of invisibility by the time a certain blonde poked her head out the door.  
  
"Gone," snarled Buffy, flouncing her way back to the couch. "Giles."  
  
Giles jerked his head up., and looked at her questioningly.  
  
"Did you translate that letter yet?"  
  
"Er ah yes, I have it right here." Giles walked over to the table, and picked a piece of paper from a folder. "I'll read it to you.  
  
Signor Bartholomew:  
  
It has been two months since you departed, leaving Meg and I in our new home. We are doing our best to settle in here in Sunnydale, and becoming familiar with our new home. Both of us are enrolled for classes at UC-Sunnydale.  
  
As yet, there is little or no signs to foretell the coming of the Horsemen. However Sunnydale is located over a Hellmouth portal, and it seems likely that they would no wish to make use of its power. Especially after a long and arduous journey.  
  
Rest assured that I will devise a plan to defeat them, or, at the very least, urge them to go elsewhere. Not that I would wish such horror on others, but better there than here.  
  
I still believe that a successful defense will need the concerted efforts by more than one party, organized into s single focussed effort. To that end, I have established contact with various Magick users. I have yet to hear back from them.  
  
There is another possible source of help here in Sunnydale. However, I am uncertain of their value.  
  
The current Slayer is a resident of Sunnydale, and is a student at UC-Sunnydale. It is less than a coincidence that I am in some of he classes she is taking. I believe it easiest to both keep an eye on her, and to approach her if that course should become advisable.  
  
I will say that the Slayer is exceptional. Her unique position of being less encumbered, than most Slayers, by the strictures of the Watchers Council, due to her being activated before they found her, an unconventional Watcher, and friends who both aid her and fight along side her, have made her the most successful Slayer yet. Her work is exemplary, and she would be a great asset in the fight against the Horsemen.  
  
However, the information I have suggests that she is headstrong, insolent, and tends to go off in her own tangents without due consideration for the consequences of her actions, both for herself and for others.  
  
Mr. Rupert Giles, is her mentor. He was chosen by the Watchers Council to be her second Watcher, and his unconventionality allowed him to form a successful relationship with the Slayer. A relationship that would have done great things, if the Council hadn't attempted to fix their mistake by dismissing Mr. Giles as Watcher. Fortunately, he has remained as the Slayer's friend, advisor and mentor.  
  
If it seems that I am not in awe of the Watchers Council, it is because I am not. For two reasons. One, because it is my belief that the Council thought the Slayer to be untrainable, and thus wouldn't last long. Mr. Giles once rebelled against the Council, and they perceived a chance of ridding themselves of a Watcher with dubious loyalties.   
  
The second reason is slightly more personal. The Slayer's third Watcher, Wesley Wyndham-Price is a distant relation of mine. So distant I would not expect him to be aware of it. He was taken out of school, given little if any actual field experience, and encouraged to believe that the Slayer would actually be willing to knuckle under and obey. He was totally unprepared for the situation he found himself, and what self confidence he might have gained was irretrievable shattered. H was capable of better things, and may well be again. No matter how distant, family is family.  
  
But I digress.   
  
It would be easy to dismiss the Slayer and her friends as potential allies, and leave them to their own devices as long as they did not conflict with mine. However, Willow Rosenberg, is a witch and quite an accomplished one at that. She has learned much with the aid of Mr. Giles, and her own researches. With proper training, she has the potential to be a powerful force on he side of Order.  
  
I do not believe that she will be permitted to live much longer. At least not without a price.  
  
At the moment, she is committed to Order because of her friendship and loyalty to the Slayer and her friends. She is also being watched by agents of the other side, who would use her powers to enhance their own ends. She may, and probably initially would, resist. At which point an attempt to force her cooperation will be made. Should that fail, she will most certainly be killed. No Chaos Agent would leave a potential threat alive.  
  
Undoubtedly that would enrage the Slayer, who would burn herself out in a probably futile attempt to get at the killers. She would probably not succeed, unless she were to concentrate her efforts solely on them, which would leave the others a clear field.  
  
My instincts tell me that an attempt is in the offing, and I will do what I can. However, sooner or later, my attention will be needed elsewhere, and unless she has received adequate training, there may be little, if anything, that can be done.  
  
I would offer the training if it were not for the question of her loyalties. I do not disagree with them, but, at least for now, I cannot afford the luxury of training one whose goals may run counter to mine.  
  
It is a dilemma, but one I do not think will last long.  
  
Yours, as ever  
Nathaniel Carpenter  
Magus  
  
********************************************************  
  
"The Horsemen, I believe, are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Giles sat behind the desk in his cramped office. Buffy had claimed the only other chair, while Willow, Oz, and Xander found spaces for themselves. "There isn't much written about the Horsemen, but what little there is indicates them as Demon Princes, who travel at the head of an army."  
  
"Which ties in nicely with some dreams I've been having," Buffy said morosely. "A grassy plain, covered with green grass, falling prey to a horde of locusts, moving across it. We are there, trying to fight them back." She looked glum. "We don't win."  
  
"They must have been here before," said Xander from where he sat on the floor. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be anything written about them. Someone must have fought them before. Right?" He faced Giles.  
  
"Er right," said Giles. The most successful defense was mounted by a Magi, his Apprentice, and a Wizard."  
  
"What happened to them?"  
  
"They ah didn't survive."   
  
"Sounds bad." Oz shifted closer to Willow. "Should stay out of it."  
  
"I don't think we can." Buffy slumped at the thought of another major fight looming. "Xander, what can you tell us about Carpenter?"  
  
"Not much, seems like a regular guy." Xander felt everyone looking at him. "Well he does. We talk about what needs to be done on his farm, its not like he told me he was some kind of male witch or something. Oh and Meg, the Housekeeper, owns the place."  
  
"Why would the housekeeper own the house?"  
  
"Because the Academy bought it for them. Usually it goes under the Magus's name, unless they think he's going to die." Angel stood in the doorway. "If he's going up against the Horsemen, chances are he will."  
  
Angel, what do you know about the Academy," Buffy eyes glowed momentarily, then faded.  
  
"Only that it exists." Angel nodded at Giles. "Just rumours that that is where the Magi are trained, then sent out on Apprenticeships. Except in Carpenter's case, he was given an intense accelerated course, and they waived the apprenticeship. My guess is they wanted to get him ready to face the Horsemen."  
  
"And you know this how?"  
  
Angel shrugged. "I have my sources."  
  
"Which leaves us where? We've a Magi, but no Apprentice or Wizard. What would Willow need to do to become his Apprentice?"  
  
Me," squeaked the red-headed cyber-wiccan.   
  
"You're the only one who can Wills," Buffy glanced at her. "This is way too serious to ignore. Besides, there's the other stuff in the letter, about Chaos Agents and stuff."  
  
'Nobody's going to get me," Willow protested.  
  
"Does the word toad ring a bell?"  
  
"Oh," Willow flushed. "Ok, but he caught me by surprise."  
  
Angel looked mystified, Buffy shot him a tell you later look.  
  
""Gotta get you prepared Will, and Giles can be the Wizard. The rest of us will have to do the best we can."  
  
"Buffy," Giles began.. "I ah don't think this is going to work." Buffy stared at him. "I don't know near enough magick, or have the skill needed to learn it. Also, I don't have time. There are all these other threats, they won't go away just because a greater evil is coming. I think we can expect them to increase."  
  
Buffy slumped further into her chair.  
  
**********************************************************  
  
"So, what's the topic for discussion?" Bufy had requested a meeting with me, over lunch. I opened my lunch box to see what Meg had packed. An assortment of fruits nuts vegetables, and cheeses. Plus, a thermos of her herbal tea.   
  
"What is that," inquired Xander. "Inquiring minds want to know if not experience."  
  
"A regimented diet," I said popping an unsalted cashew into my mouth.  
  
"One which he'd better stick to." Meg came up from behind, and took a place at the table. "Honestly, he'd much rather fill himself up with whatever Xander is eating."  
  
"Hey, there's nutrition in here," protested Xander. "Somewhere..."  
  
"The cardboard it's packaged in perhaps." Meg transferred her glare to me. "I found your latest stash. Honestly, this boy is seriously corrupting your eating habits. For which, I have to compensate."  
  
"Ahem," came a British voice on the other side of Buffy. "I'm sure this is quite fascinating, but could we get back on track. The Horsemen?"  
  
I chewed an olive before speaking. "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, or the demon princes we call by that name. War, Hunger, Pestilence, Death. Very powerful, very nasty. Headed this way at the head of a horde of an unknown number of lessor demons."  
  
"You know this how?"  
  
"The Lords of the Magi keep track of these things. I was selected for an intense but accelerated training program, and tasked with the job of stopping them. Or, at the very least, inviting them elsewhere."  
  
"Why you?" Willow put down her milk. "Why did they choose you?"  
  
"It was my ancestor who faced them several centuries ago, and managed to shunt them off in another direction." I shrugged. "My guess is that they're hoping that I can do the same."  
  
"How do you plan on doing that?"  
  
"That's the question." I eyed the remaining contents of my lunch pail, and shoved it aside, getting a dirty look from Meg. "I don't think I can stop them from coming. I may be able to use hit and run tactics, to slow them, cut down their numbers, and push them towards an area where I have an advantage. When they do get here, I have offers for help from other Magi, their apprentice's and the like."  
  
"But they're not there now," Xander chugged his pop.  
  
"No."  
  
"So how are you planning to do all this," Buffy toyed with her lunch. "You against an army."  
  
"Yep, just me," I said, reacting a little to the sarcasm that was creeping into her voice. "Except that it isn't an army. Not disciplined enough, which is my best advantage."  
  
"Oh really."  
  
"Giles said it took a Magus and his Apprentice to stop them the last time."  
  
"And a Wizard," I supplied. "Filling a magickal triumvirate that had enough power to turn them aside."  
  
"Willow could be your Apprentice."  
  
"Buffy," Willow yelped like a scalded cat. I raised an eyebrow and stared at her.  
  
"This is way serious," Buffy cut her off. "You know magick Willow, and he can't do this alone."  
  
I wasn't overjoyed with the level of her enthusiasm for my abilities, and I could guess that Meg wasn't either. Except that she couldn't quite hide her smirk.  
  
"Buffy...," began Giles, looking uncomfortable. "Don't you think Willow should decide."  
  
"Everybody gets a choice except me," Buffy groused.   
  
"No, wait," Willow held up a hand. "She's right. This is serious." She turned to me. "I'll still be able to help Buffy, right. Cause I'm not doing it if I can't."  
  
"I raised an eyebrow. "That's not quite the way it works. Also, I don't know if it would work."  
  
"Why not," the red head snapped her eyes over to mine. "I'd make a good Apprentice. I'm good with magick and stuff."  
  
"Recall what happened when you tried to turn me into a frog?"  
  
She opened her mouth. Oz and Xander fixed their eyes on her. She reddened, and snapped her mouth shut. "I could've done it," she muttered, not really believing it herself.  
  
"No you couldn't," I assured her. "You knew the spell, could make it work, but you couldn't break through my defenses fast enough to prevent me from discovering your attempt, and reversing your spell on you, with a few modifications of my own."  
  
"You turned Willow into a frog," Xander's eyes darkened.  
  
"A toad, actually, only as long as it took for me to find her and change her her back.   
  
"I'm going out on a limb and assuming that you shared that letter Xander pilfered. In which case you know that the opposition would try to have you use your powers for their ends."  
  
"How do we know your not?"  
  
"Of course I am, that's the whole point to this exercise. I just won't use magick or other means to force compliance."  
  
"I'd die first."  
  
"That would be an acceptable result, from their point of view. Leaving the question of how long you would suffer while they determined that you could not be coerced into helping."  
  
"They haven't tried yet," Willow said with a little more confidence than she actually felt.  
  
"Actually they have," I told her, watching her eyes grow big. "I've stopped three attempts so far."  
  
"Then I don't have anything to worry about."  
  
"Unless my attention is drawn elsewhere. In which case, there would be little I could do."  
  
"How would I be safer if I was your Apprentice? You could still be distracted."  
  
"Let me first ask you a question, Willow. Where does the energies used in magick come from?"  
  
Willow thought a moment, trying to remember what she had read. "From within us," she asked.  
  
"No. The talent, the ability to use magick comes from within. But the motive forces, the energies used, comes from outside. From the layers of ether that surrounds us, and can only be accessed by magick. When you use magick, you send ripples out through the ether, much like dropping a stone into a pool of water. Those with the talent, to do so, can sense those ripples, and seek out the source.  
  
"My commitment to Willow would be as great as her commitment to me. The process of binding herself to me as my apprentice, would create a psychic link between us. I would know if she were endangered. If I were delayed, and she was killed, or taken, they would still have to deal with me. The most effective way to hide from a magick user, especially a Magus who is looking, is not to use magick."  
  
"The ripple thing?" Buffy looked interested.  
  
"Yes the ripple thing. Non magick users would force me to use more traditional ways to track them down. However, the people attracted to her power would want to use that power. I would know the instant she does. Magick users, especially those willing to go up against her, or me, may find it difficult not to use their magick. Eventually they would slip, and I would find them." I grinned. "I'm sure you're more than capable of handling anything that is left over."  
  
"Oh." Willow glanced back at Buffy, then at Oz. Buffy nodded, Oz shrugged. She turned her attention back to me.  
  
"Okay, I'll be your Apprentice. As long as I can still help Buffy."  
  
"But," I interrupted. "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. You all seem concerned about Willow becoming my Apprentice. I don't know if I want Willow to be my Apprentice."  
  
"Wait a minute," protested Buffy. "Didn't we just go through all this?"  
  
"Not quite, there's the matter of her loyalties." I looked at Willow. "You've been together for what four years? If it came to a decision, where where my interests ran counter to that of the Slayer's, could you place your loyalty to me and to my teachings above your loyalty to Buffy?"  
  
"No," said Willow firmly.  
  
"Yes," said Buffy equally as firmly.  
  
"Buffy, I could never go against you."  
  
"It is not likely that the situation will occur, but it is conceivable. I would need to be assured that my Apprentice is not working against me."  
  
"Oh." Willow paused to think it over. "I could still help Buffy, and Giles with the research, and the slaying?"  
  
"So long as it doesn't interfere with your lessons, and as long as you remember that your first loyalty is to me and not to Buffy."  
  
"Willow, I need you to do this." Buffy looked grim. "This Horsemen thing is bigger than any of us, and we gotta do what we gotta do to beat them. You can still be my friend, I'll always be yours. I,uh, I want to be sure that you, and the others, will be okay after I'm gone. I mean, how much longer can I last?"  
  
The two girls looked at each other, while an uncomfortable silence fell over the table.  
  
"Oh, okay." "Willow looked at me, wide eyed, scared. "What do I do?"  
  
"Take a couple days to think it over. There's no going back."  
  
"So, now we got to find him a Wizard. I nominate Giles."  
  
"Xander, that would not be practical. I still have my research, and Buffy's training. There's still the other threats, which I presume will increase as the Horsemen draw nearer."  
  
I nodded. "They will be trying to get theirs before he new masters come, or currying favour with them. I think you can look forward to an increase in activity."  
  
Buffy slumped, and nibbled on her sandwich.  
  
"We could maybe work around that, at least for the time being." I thought a moment. "Okay, if agreeable. Giles is at the Magician stage, and won't take too much effort to bring the rest of the way. But that will cut into the time needed for research and training. Since Xander nominated him, I think it only fair that he pick up where Giles is forced to leave off."  
  
Xander paled, and Willow grinned widely.  
  
"As my Apprentice, Willow will need to learn some fighting techniques, and Buffy could do that as part of her training."  
  
Now it was Willow's turn to pale.  
  
"We can see how it works."  
  
Deal?"  
  
"Deal."  
  
"Deal."  
  
"Deal."  



	2. Default Chapter Title

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Disclaimer. Characters, except for Nathanial Carpenter and Meg, belong to Joss Whedon and Fox tv, etc. Used without permission  
feedback: Would be nice.  
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"A great night for a weinie roast."  
  
It was actually, black star speckled sky, the kind you only get when you are away from the haze of city lights, the diamond trails of the city below. The fire burned in a brick lined pit, flames leaping crackling.   
  
Buffy sat staring at the flames. For once, she seemed at peace with herself and her surroundings. Willow snuggled up to Oz, Anya lay on the ground beside Xander, and Giles Sat in a chair, eyes closed.  
  
It was almost a pity to disturb them. I threw another log on the fire. Willow jumped.  
  
I picked up two of the three staffs I'd brought from the house. Each staff was ebony black, with brass rings around the tips. Circling the fire, I handed one to Giles. As soon as he grasped it, six rows of runes glowed, equa-distant across its length.   
  
"These rings, and this staff, do signify thy rank as magician. When thou attainest the rank of Wizard, it shall be heralded by two more rings."  
  
He studied the staff and its runes. I couldn't tell if he was pleased or not, but he seemed comfortable with it.  
  
The others watched as I handed the second staff to Willow. No runes glowed, and she looked puzzled. I moved silently back to my place, and picked up my own staff.  
  
This time, twelve rings glowed, equidistant along its length, signifying my rank and authority as Magus.  
  
I held it up over, and through the flames, towards Willow.  
  
"Willow Rosenberg, the time has come to decide."  
  
She looked so much like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming train, not knowing which way to jump, unable to get out of the way. Slowly she stepped up to the fire, and held out her staff, and touched a brass ring to a brass ring on mine. And kept them together, as I slowly pulled mine back, and down into the fire. Which burned unnaturally bright and intense.  
  
"Flame of Binding. Light of Truth."  
  
"I," she began nervously, "Willow Rosenberg, of my mind and will, and before those here present, do swear that I will serve thee as thine apprentice. I will learn from thee and allow thee to teach me. I will hold thy truths as my truths, and in no wise will I act against thee. It is my mind and my will."  
  
"I, Nathanial Carpenter, of my mind and will, and before those here present, do swear that I will serve thee as mentor and teacher. I will teach thee and guide thee in the Ways of Order, and see you well equipped for the travails for which I may not help. I will set thy feet firmly on the path, and I will send thee along it, and in no wise will I act against thee. It is my mind and my will."  
  
The last word faded, and the fire roared skyward, marking the bond. To her credit, Willow stood steadfast, not breaking the connection between her staff and mine. When finally I nodded, she drew it back out of the fire, and smiled to see that it was undamaged. This time, it had three rings of runes, marking her status as Apprentice to a Magus.  
  
********************************************************   
  
Over the next few weeks it became common to see various vehicles coming up our driveway. The Cherokee Buffy got as a graduation present, Oz's van, a harley davidson Xander purchased somehow, and the contraption Giles called a car. All, or various ones, could be seen parked off to the side next to Willow's bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle. As part of her Apprenticeship, she obtained the use of the suite a previous owner had built into the loft of the barn out behind the house. It was completely modernized, if it still retained some rustic flavour, and while Willow could have used a room in the house, she opted for the privacy the suite provided. She, of course, invited all her friends to help her with it.  
  
The barn proper had been left as it was, and pretty much neglected except to see that the structure was sound, and the rooms that Xander used.. Willow wheedled the use of it, and it was rapidly becoming the Slayerette Headquarters, now that the school was destroyed. Giles had claimed three stalls for his books, a fourth was set aside as a meeting area, complete with computer and net connections. The wall between two were taken out for Buffy's use as a training area. The remaining two were set aside for sleeping areas, should any of them care spend the night.   
  
We were a few miles out of town, and Giles worried about security, until I showed Willow how to set up magickal locks, and key them for those that were allowed access.  
  
Because of the reduced amount of time I had to bring Willow up to speed, so to speak, Willow gave me permission to teach her using a rather invasive form of dream teaching. A regimen that saw most of her days free, but in bed by ten, asleep by eleven at night. At which time I would induce rem sleep, and fill her dreams with lessons. She would experience them, as if she were actually participating in the rituals, or chanting the spells. I could do three, maybe four, lessons a night, and review them the next day. It left us both tired most of the time, but she thrived, and she had questions. Lots of questions.   
  
Willow was full of suggestions too. "If we did this this way..." "But not even..." She was good, even brilliant. But I was running up against her previous learning, which was mainly self taught, and sometimes erroneous. True Giles helped, but he was busy with Buffy and her training. So I had to force her to unlearn all the errors she had learned. Which, fortunately, were few in number. My greatest problem was holding her back.   
  
For some reason, Giles and the others found this quite amusing.  
  
**********************************************************  
  
It was a fine Saturday afternoon afternoon when I walked into the barn. Buffy and Giles were working out with staffs in the training area. Xander was slouched over by the door, his head down in a book. Willow poked her head up.   
  
"did you want me?" Her faces became the colour of her hair when she thought about what she had just said. "Uh, for training I mean."  
  
"Get your staff," I ordered. heading into the exercise area. Willow got her staff, and edged in, apprehensive, as well she should be. "You've watched Buffy work out?"  
  
"Uh, yes."  
  
"Hold it in the ready position."  
  
Willow balanced herself on her legs, held the staff equidistant, parallel to the ground. I picked up another staff, and swung at her. She easily blocked me, and the next and the next. I was pleased to see that she applied her lessons. Not just in defensive motions, but trying an offensive move or two.  
  
I let it go on for a few more minutes, then stepped back.  
  
"I want you to start learning to use this for more than just to lean on when hiking."  
  
"Why," demanded Xander. "She has her magick, so she can just zap them."  
  
"Magick isn't always the answer. This gives her another option." I watched her standing on the mat wide eyed, staring at me.   
  
I glanced over at the Slayer, who was standing over on the left. "Here," I tossed the staff I was holding to her. Not with any force, just enough so she could catch it. "I'd like you to train her."  
  
"Me, but...I'm the Slayer. I'm stronger, and I don't know f I can hold back from hurting her."  
  
"It will do her good to go up against someone stronger. She knows how to use her magick to anticipate your moves, and to enhance her own abilities. If she does get hurt, she knows how to counter the damage. It'll also teach her to apply her lessons more assiduously."  
  
"She's gonna use magick on me?"  
  
"Not on you, to anticipate your moves. By watching the flow of energy , to see which part of you is being tensed for action."  
  
"h, okay, I guess." the Slayer said dubiously. But she grasped her staff and moved onto the mat. Willow eyed her cautiously, then suddenly brought her staff up and around at waist level. Buffy expertly countered that move, and pretty soon the two girls were in the swing of things. I stepped outside the area.  
  
"Do you think this wise?" Giles had followed me out. "Pitting Willow up against the Slayer."  
  
"Willow is more than capable of looking after herself, and responsible enough not to take unfair advantage. I need her to learn to fight, I was never very good at it, and you look like you could use a rest. If it won't interfere with Buffy's training."  
  
"It may even help." Giles paused, thinking. "You seem to be increasing the tempo of her training. Willow's not Buffy's."  
  
'Willow is making excellent progress, and has come farther than I would have thought possible. She should be able to fend off any threat, and I have other things to occupy my time, or soon will have."  
  
The Horsemen?"  
  
"The Horsemen."  
  
We talked a bit longer until the sound of silence was all that came from the training stall. Willow was the first to come out.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"Whupped her." Willow jerked her head up and strode for the stairs leading up to her suite.   
  
"I was holding back." Buffy came up to us and grinned. "But she really is good."  
  
"Don't hold back," I told her.  
  
**********************************************************  
  
"So what's the plan?" Xander slouched in his chair and stared at Willow's newly made scrying glass, which could easily double as a glass topped coffee table. Which showed a scene that could have been lifted directly from Ghengis Khan and the Golden Horde. A grassy plain, slipping under the thundering hooves of countless horses. Banners streaming over the warriors' heads. But the riders weren't human. They were demons. Lead by War, Pestilence, Death and Famine. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. They were coming here.  
  
"How do we fight that?"  
  
"By not panicking. Picking a strategy and sticking to it. By finding it's weaknesses and exploiting them."  
  
"Weakness," laughed Xander. "Doesn't look like they have to worry about weaknesses."  
  
"Take a look at them," I told him, and them. "Look at the organization, and at the numbers. They aren't coming in ordered ranks, no army that fights as an effective unit, or sequence of units, needs that many fighters. What does that tell you?"  
  
I waited. No one answered.  
  
"It tells me that their strategy is to throw large numbers of fighters at us, until we're worn down and they can roll over us like a flood. So we look at it like a flood. When a flood comes, what we do."  
  
"Head for high ground," answered Buffy growing more interested. "Build a dam."  
  
"We head for high ground, certainly. But we don't build a dam"  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"We could build a dam. If we had the time and resources to do that. But to make it an effective dam, it would be a massive undertaking, and preparations would have to be made well in advance of their arrival. That would give them time to think up a counter measure. They have the power to blast through anything we can set up."  
  
"We could divert the flood, like with sandbags," suggested Xander. "Channel off some of the water elsewhere."  
  
"Wonderful," I told him. "We put up barriers, close enough so they haven't time to react. That horde is going to be a lot harder to stop than an organized army. So the other Magi, and I will have to find those windows into which we can put obstructions. Kill off some of them, as many as we can. Channel some away from the main Horde. Divert them so they come in somewhere where we have an advantage. We can't hope to stop them, but maybe we can break them up into more manageable bits."  
  
"What are the odds?"  
  
I stared at Xander, at them all. "About 25 percent," I told them.  
  
"We are so dead."  
  
*** *** *** *** **** **** **** **** **** **** **** ****   
  
I sent my astral self spinning down over the thundering horde, and loosed two balls of pure White energy from either end of my staff. Both struck their intended targets, spraying energy like dust, creating chaos where they struck. Horses reared, breathing fire. Demons fell from their backs, some clawing their way back up again.   
  
I zoomed up front, barely missing a dark bolt from one of the leaders. I swooped, zigged and zagged, not presenting a clear target. My next beam hit the ground ahead of them. A mountain range burst up. The demon horde tried to stop, but I had gotten the range. Orders were bellowed, but still the rear echelons charged forward, pushing their hapless comrades ahead of them. Approximately..., well I don't know the numbers, but a good portion got shaved off from the edges of the Horde. The path they followed carried them far and way from the main body. They may rejoin the Horde, but it would take time.  
  
The demon Princes were growing smarter as well. Look outs were placed, and an air force rose to meet me. Filling the air with bursts of their dark energy, and bursts of my white energies. I have no doubt that another observer would see this differently, but black and white suited me.  
  
***************************************************  
  
"This is not a good idea." Meg jerked open the passenger door and hauled me out, settling an arm around her shoulder. "Not good at all."  
  
"With Giles out," I gasped with the effort of climbing out of the car. "There's not much choice."  
  
"Never said there was," she snapped, turning me towards the walkway, an moving forward. "Just not a good idea, with you the way you are."  
  
Meg had been waiting when I got back. Willow had phoned. Giles had collapsed. They had gotten him to the hospital, and they'd said he'd be fine when he woke up. Which wouldn't be anytime soon. They'd be at Buffy's, and would I please call as soon as I could.  
  
First though, I needed to check on Giles. I leaned back in my chair, and closed my eyes. I could feel myself floating, colours streaming around me. I focused on Giles, and soon found myself in his hospital room. He lay there, looking for all the world like he was asleep, and would appear so if it weren't for the monitors hooked up to him. I sensed the residue of magick, and no amateur had done this. There would be little chance of bringing him back.  
  
I phoned Willow at Buffy's and learned that she thought there had been magick used and Angel was in town. I let Willow babble on for a bit, and told her that I would meet them all at Buffy's house, if that was okay with her. There was a brief pause, and Willow told me they would be waiting, despite how late it was. Nearly midnight.   
  
"Buffy said.., My God..." Mrs. Summers opened the door as we got up to it, her voice trailing off as she caught sight of me. "Can't this wait?"  
  
"No," I said. "Not with Giles out, no time."  
  
Buffy and the others were upstairs in her room, where I gathered many such meetings had been held. I was obviously in no condition to climb stairs, neither would I be comfortable with that idea, even if I were, so Mrs. Summers helped Meg ease me onto the living room sofa. Meg asked for permission to use the kitchen, which Mrs. Summers granted, saying she'd get the others.  
  
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***   
  
"Buffy," Mrs. Summers knocked on her daughter's bedroom door. Almost immediately, the voices stopped, and Buffy opened he door.  
  
"Mr. Carpenter's here, on the sofa." Mrs. Summers caught her daughter's eye. "I thought we were going to be honest about this?"  
  
"I am being honest with you, Mom. Completely."  
  
"You never told me that Mr. Giles is hurt..."  
  
"That just happened.."  
  
"You call a meeting with Mr. Carpenter, and and his housekeeper practically has to carry him in, more dead than alive. Did that just happen?"  
  
"Mom, later..." Buffy stared at her mother, wondering just what she was going to say. "I'll tell you all about it, just, not now."  
  
Mrs. Summers as clearly not happy, and opened her mouth to say more, but stopped staring over Buffy's shoulder into the room. Buffy whirled to see everyone staring at her bed where Willow had been sitting. She wasn't there now.  
  
"I hate it when she does that," complained Xander. "What if she says a word wrong, or something. Where'll she be then?"  
  
"H-How did she do that?" Mrs. Summers had finally found her voice.  
  
"Mom, Later." Buffy pushed past her mother and ran for the stairs.  
  
"She's, uh, been taking lessons," said Xander as he followed.  
  
"From Mr. Carpenter," supplied Oz, as he brushed past.  
  
"Mr. Carpenter?" Mrs. Summers looked confused, and then turned and headed for the stairs.  
  
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***   
  
I was pleased with the progress my Apprentice was making. Pleased with the speed and ease in which she grasped and applied her lessons. But I am also less than pleased with the mistakes she makes because she sometimes leaps before she looks.   
  
Which was why, when Buffy and the others clattered down the stairs and into the room, they were treated to the sight of a very red faced Willow on the receiving end of a lecture such as only Meg can deliver. While I lay on the sofa trying to regain my breath.  
  
"I thinks she's got it now," I wheezed as soon as I could get air through my larynx.   
  
"You keep quiet," Meg snapped at me. "I'll get your tea, so you can have your meeting." She looked at Willow, who looked like she'd like to slink into a hole in the floor, and pull the carpet over it behind her. "Shall I bring you a cup dear"  
  
Willow looked panic stricken. With good reason. Meg blends her own teas, from various herbs, teas, and medicinal plants. While she takes care to see that the tea serves it intended purpose, she is not adverse to adding strong bitter herbs to the taste. Willow started to shake her head, saw the gleam in Meg's eyes, and changed it to a nod.  
  
"Now aren't we all glad that wasn't us," quipped Xander as soon as Meg had left the room.  
  
"Xander." Buffy looked as if she'd have liked to have been closer to him.   
  
"So Will, what did you do?" Xander pretended to ignore the look he got from Buffy.  
  
Willow walked over to a corner, leaned against it and let herself slide down to the floor.   
  
I cleared my throat experimentally, and changed the subject. "Tell me about Giles."  
  
The story I pieced together from them all talking at once, or filling in little bits, was that they were at his house doing some research with the books they had there. There had been a blinding flash, and Giles was down for the count. They had rushed him to the hospital, waited there for what seemed like hours, and told that he wasn't waking up soon. They had returned to Giles house, looking for clues, and hadn't found any, when they decided it was best to move the meeting to Buffy's house rather than risk being caught by snoopy neighbours.  
  
By the time we were satisfied that Giles was out of the picture, and would be for some time yet, Meg had returned with several mugs of tea, one coffee, for Xander, and some cookies Mrs. Summers had pulled out. She placed the tray on the coffee table, and picked up one of the two blue mugs.  
  
She helped me sit up enough to drink from my cup, and placed it within easy reach.  
  
She took the other cup over to Willow. Who made the mistake of setting the cup on the floor and pretending to ignore it. Meg let her get away with it while the others got their drinks, and cookies.   
  
Meg cleared her throat suddenly and explosively, making everyone, except me, who knew it was coming, jump and look at her. Willow found her staring directly back at her.  
  
"Plenty more in the kitchen." Her meaning clear. "Tastes better hot."  
  
Willow smiled weakly, lifting the cup to her lips, grimacing slightly.   
  
From the looks I was getting from Buffy, and the others, I was supposed to do something to deflect Meg's wrath. Which, I know from experience, can't be done, though it is possible to share in it. And, while Willow is slim trim and in great shape, she still weighs more than a few pounds, and every single one of them had popped into the air twelve inches directly above me.. I kind of hoped this would do Willow some good in the looking before you leap department.  
  
I did however, try to get everyone refocused on the problem at hand.  
  
"Did Giles tell you what you should do if he was ever unable to do his job?"  
  
"Um, no." Buffy looked uncomfortably at her mother. "He never really thought this would come up."  
  
"Does anyone have any suggestions," I asked. More because it had to be asked, than because I expected an answer.   
  
"We were hoping that you would."  
  
"Mr. Carpenter, can't you do it, fill in for Giles I mean?" Buffy scowled at her mother. Clearly she was unhappy with her Mom attending this meeting, and I gathered she tried to keep her in the dark as much as possible. Mrs. Summers was not going to be put off, and I didn't have time to pussy foot around words. Buffy would just have to deal.  
  
"I'm afraid not. With Giles out of the picture, it's more important than ever that the Horsemen be delayed, and funneled into a more favorable location."  
  
"Horsemen," Mrs. Summers gasped. "Buffy never told me..."  
  
Buffy positively glared at me, and the others looked none too happy.  
  
I closed my eyes, and let the others explain the situation to Mrs. Summers. Meg used the opportunity to replenish my tea, Willow looked nervous, thinking that she'd have her cup refilled, and I think Meg was thinking about it. In the end, she let Willow be.  
  
"But can't they blast through your rocks." Mrs. Summers was not obtuse.  
  
"Not without stopping, examining the obstacle, and coming up with a plan. Magick done while moving is never as good as magick done while you are still. For them to stop, they'd need to learn of the obstacle in enough time to slow and stop the horde behind them, or be shoved ahead. Since there's little or no discipline in the Horde, it's no easy task."  
  
"So you place your rocks in close."  
  
"Which means that you're in close." Willow had something more to worry about. "Where they can get at you."  
  
"Which is what happened tonight." I leaned back and sipped my tea. "With Giles out of he picture, it's more important than ever that they be slowed, and reduced as much as possible. I just won't have the time to do Giles job."  
  
"So we don't need Giles." Buffy sat up hopefully. "You keep on doing what you are doing, and we'll deal when they get here."  
  
"Do you know what Giles main job was?"  
  
"He's my Watcher. He trains me, looks up prophecies and stuff and tells me what I need to know. We can do that."  
  
"There are countless prophecies floating out there. Most of them are false, thankfully. But that still leaves more prophecies than you can deal with, so he has to pick and choose. Decide which one to point you at."  
  
"They won't stop because the Horsemen are coming."  
  
"So, we need Giles," for the first time Buffy started to look worried.  
  
"We need someone to do that part of his job."  
  
"Look," I continued. "Buffy will have to keep up her training, patrols and other Slayer duties, she may even have to step them up. We can expect an increase in demonic activity, if some of the locals will try to curry favour with the Horsemen. Buffy won't have the time to do the research and the picking and the choosing. It's not her strong point anyway."  
  
Buffy looked as if she wanted to argue that, but decided it was true enough.  
  
"Willow will have to continue with her lessons, they may even be intensified as well. On top of that, she will have to take over more of Buffy's physical training. Cordelia will be here soon, and I want her trained in swordsmanship."  
  
"Which leaves me." Xander looked at his knees. "I've done research, I mean, we all have, but Giles usually tells us what to look for, or gives us some idea anyway."  
  
"You're saying Buffy needs a Watcher." Willow glanced at the Slayer. "But she left the council. Maybe she just needs someone with Watcher training."  
  
"Do you know of anyone? Anyone?" I glanced around the room. No one responded. Buffy drew her knees up under her chin.  
  
She did not look happy. I can't say I blamed her, she knew what was coming.   
  
"At the very least she needs some one who can do the research and can call on the Watchers Council for help."  
  
"Can she get their help without going back to the council?" Willow sounded hopeful.  
  
"No. They consider her rogue."  
  
"But Buffy's not rogue."  
  
"Her first Watcher was killed, her second dismissed, her third disgraced. She left the Council."  
  
"They would have let Angel die."  
  
"Angel is a vampire, something they've been fighting since forever. Not only is he a vampire, but the Scourge of Ireland. Much of the Council is made up of Irishmen, old enough to remember Angelus, to have lost friends or family to him. There was little chance they would vote to save him."  
  
"But he's not Angelus anymore, he's Angel. He's got a soul."  
  
"That soul wasn't enough to stop him from nearly draining her."  
  
"She didn't give him a choice."  
  
"He still lost control to his demon. The fact is, she placed her desires over those of the Council, which is not necessarily a bad thing. But, in their eyes, she proved herself to be unreliable at best, or rogue. They will not help unless she comes to terms with them."  
  
"Can't we do this without them?"  
  
"There is an alternate plan."  
  
"Which is," demanded Xander.  
  
"The Magi step up the attacks on the Horsemen, try to weaken them as much as possible before they get here. At which time we go out taking as many of them as we can."  
  
"So no matter what we're finished."  
  
I shrugged. "We try, we pray, we don't give up. We hope there's enough of humanity left to carry on."  
  
No one said anything after that.   
  
Whoever had taken Giles out had pretty much finished us. We were too small a group. Everyone had a job to fill. No one, with any idea of what to do, could spare the time necessary. We needed the Council, but no one was willing to suggest the she go back. Wesley Wyndham-Price was a distant cousin of mine, on my mother's side, and after what the Council had done to him, I didn't particularly relish the thought of working with the them either. But I had to find the best solution to the puzzle.   
  
Buffy huddled in the corner, looking scared and lost. All her dreams and hopes had been shattered because of who and what she was. She had finally broken free of the Watchers Council, and only months later she was being pushed back. She had had the world unfairly placed upon her shoulders, and I think she felt its weight.  
  
"Phone them."  
  
We looked at her, sitting there, head high. Reddened eyes, flashing with angry determination.  
  
"Buffy, no," protested Willow.  
  
"What choice do we have," Buffy asked, her voice bitter. She turned her attention back to me. "We have to do something. Phone them, tell them I'll do what ever they want." 


	3. Default Chapter Title

Disclaimer. Characters, except for Nathanial Carpenter and Meg, belong to Joss Whedon and Fox tv, etc. Used without permission  
feedback: Would be nice.  
**********************************************************  
  
This was a meeting she so wasn't looking forward to, and had put off as long as she could. She froze when she saw Buffy and Xander sitting over in a corner of the cafeteria. Mr. Travers from the Watchers Council was standing over them. Buffy was looking at some papers, and Travers was holding out a pen. Xander was definitely unhappy.  
  
"Buffy No." Willow ran over forgetting her lunch on the counter. "Don't sign anything."  
  
"Let me see that," she gasped grabbing for the paper in front of Buffy. It was an agreement where Buffy, as the Slayer, pledged to follow the instructions of her Watcher, not to indulge in any other activities that might hinder her effectiveness as a Slayer without first obtaining her Watcher's permission. Above all, she was to obey the directives of the Council.  
  
Willow grabbed the pen from Mr. Travers and crossed out the last statement. She would have loved to strike out the second clause, but didn't think she would get away with it. Anyway, if things went right, it wouldn't matter, she didn't think. She quickly reread the document before pushing it back to Buffy with the pen.  
  
"Okay, now you can sign it." She glared at Travers. "That was not in the agreement."  
  
"It should have been. May I enquire when Mr. Carpenter is coming?"  
  
"He's not. I'm his Apprentice, I'll speak for him."  
  
"I prefer to speak with Mr. Carpenter."  
  
"You speak with me, or no deal."  
  
"Will it's okay," Buffy said. "I'll deal, its my problem."  
  
"No, it's not just you, and he's trying to pull a fast one. He's not your Watcher, yet."  
  
"No, I'm not. Yet." A smile played across Travers' lips, before they settled back into a thin line. "Very well, we will do it your way. She may live to regret your master's choice. Or die because of it."  
  
Buffy looked confused. "What's he talking about?"  
  
Willow turned to Xander.  
  
"Xander, I need to talk to you alone. In private. Right now." Without waiting for an answer, Willow grabbed her friend and started dragging Xander to the door. "Buffy, don't sign anything. Else, I mean."  
  
Outside in the hallway, Willow spun around and faced Xander, still holding on to his arm.  
  
"You have to be Buffy's Watcher. You just have to."  
  
Xander opened his mouth to say something. Willow plunged in before he could.  
  
"The Watchers Council has already agreed, you know Buffy won't like anyone they send, and like you said you're the only one left, who doesn't really have a job to do. Now you do."  
  
Willow stared at her friend, resolve face firmly in place.  
  
"Willow, I .. I.. can't." Xander worked his mouth, pale and wide eyed. "Buffy's Watcher..I don't know ho..."  
  
"We'll all help," Willow waded back in. "I'll deal with the physical side of her training, I can do that. We'll all help with the research."  
  
"You heard Nat, how Giles has to choose which prophecy is right. How will I know which is the right one, Giles had years of training."  
  
"He had to start somewhere, and anyway you won't be alone, or a real Watcher, not yet anyway. You'll be an Apprentice Watcher, so you'll have a real Watcher to help you, and you can call the Watchers Council, so they'll help..." By now Willow had widened her eyes and adopted the little girl whine she'd developed long ago, whenever she wanted something badly. Something that only Xander could do, and he didn't want to do it. "Please Xander. You have to."  
  
Xander stared at her, knowing that he'd eventually give in, like he always did, and he wouldn't be doing them a favour if he did. Him a Watcher, the King of Cretins? He wanted so desperately to cut and run down the hallway, but he just couldn't. Willow was doing that thing she always did whenever she wanted him to do something, especially when it was against his better judgment. It wasn't often she did that, but it was impossible to resist, except somehow Nat managed to. It took one more "please" from Willow, and against his better judgment, he caved.  
  
"Oh good," Willow near jumped for joy. She hadn't thought she could do this, but now,   
  
"Let's go tell them." Willow grabbed an arm, turned and reentered the cafeteria.   
  
"You didn't sign anything did you," she asked breathlessly as they reached their table.  
  
"No," said an amused Buffy. "What's with Xander?"  
  
Mr. Travers shook his head.  
  
"Buffy, you have to come with me now." Again without waiting for an answer, Willow grabbed an arm and headed for the door. "Xander don't sign anything. Till I get back."  
  
"Willow, what's the matter?" Buffy stared at her friend, once she'd allowed herself to be dragged out into the hall. "This isn't like you at all."  
  
Willow ignored the question."  
  
"Buffy, you have to accept Xander as your Watcher."  
  
Buffy's mouth dropped open. "Xander, but he's..."  
  
"Going to be your Watcher," Willow finished the sentence. "I'll help. I can do the physical training, fighting and stuff, and Xander will have the Council to back him up and help do whatever Giles did. We'll all research and ..."  
  
"Willow," Buffy interjected. "The Council will never accept my choice of a Watcher, which would be Giles, anyway. They'd never accept Xander."  
  
"They've already agreed to make him an Apprentice Watcher, so there'll be a real Watcher around to train him, and he'll have the backing of the Council, Xander not the Watcher."  
  
"Xander as a Watcher? Does he know about this? Wait, that's why he looked like he was run over by a train." Buffy smiled. "That's what you dragged him out to the hall for. To tell him. Just like you did me." Buffy pursed her lips. "He's gonna do it?"  
  
"Yes," Willow nearly screamed. "But only if you agree and we get back in there before he stops to think about it."  
  
"But, the Council won't accept him anyway."  
  
"They already did, and you agreed to accept any Watcher they sent, which is Xander, so its not like you really have a choice, or anything." Willow paused, breathing. "But it would be so much better if you agreed. Now, rather than later."  
  
Buffy narrowed her eyes. She hated not knowing what was going on, especially when it involved a big part of her life, and here she was, hauled out of her lunch period, told by her best friend that she had to accept her other best friend as her Watcher. But she did agree to work with a Watcher, and she'd rather it be someone she knew rather than another tweed stuffed shirt. But Xander..?"  
  
"Don't they have another choice?"  
  
"Well there's Travers."  
  
Buffy's eyes widened, then it was her turn to grab Willow.  
  
"Come on, we got to get back before Xander changes his mind."  
  
"I trust we can get on with this now." Mr. Travers looked smug as Willow and Buffy returned to the table. Mr. Harris has consented to withdraw from this travesty and..."  
  
"Xander," bleated Willow. "You didn't "You promised."  
  
"But he, Buffy..."  
  
"No buts. You promised, and I won't let you back out of a promise." Willow turned to glare at Mr. Travers. "The deal was made with the Council President, not you."  
  
"I speak for the Council, and I cannot believe they willingly agreed to this."  
  
"I speak for Nathaniel Carpenter, " Willow told him. "I know what the deal is. He told me. He also told me not to accept anything else."  
  
"The active Watcher is chosen by the Council. Mr. Carpenter's wished are not considered. Surely Ms. Summers will agree that a properly trained Watcher is best. For everything concerned."  
  
Ms. Summers was in somewhat of a daze.  
  
"This is between the Watcher's Council, whom you represent and Nathaniel Carpenter, whom I represent My instructions were to agree to the deal as set out, or not to agree at all, and I won't."  
  
"Very well, I merely hoped to avoid a monumental mistake. One which could be disastrous for all." Mr. Travers withdrew some papers from his valise. "If Ms. Summers would kindly sign the document I've already presented to her."  
  
"No, she won't, not until everything else is signed."  
  
"Very well." He removed a sheet and placed it before Xander, prodding him with a tip. "This is an agreement between you and the Watchers Council of Great Britain. Wherein you agree to assume the position of Apprentice, and accept instruction from whomever the Council sees fit to be your teacher."  
  
Xander signed on the dotted line. Mr. Travers took back the document, and signed as a witness. He glanced up at Buffy.  
  
"I presume you will go along with this foolishness."  
  
"Yep. I promise to love honour and obey Xander as my Watcher." She grinned.  
  
"I see." Mr. Traverse picked up another document, and filled in Alexander LaVelle Harris in the appropriate spot.   
  
"This document confirms Mr. Harris as your Watcher. It will require four signatures. Mr. Harris as the Active Watcher. Yours, as the Slayer. Mine on behalf of the Council, and Ms. Rosenberg as Mr. Carpenter's representative." He looked at her. "I trust you can sign for him."  
  
Willow nodded.  
  
The paper went around the table.  
  
"Now Ms. Summers, if you would be so kind."  
  
Buffy grabbed the final document, the one Willow had stopped her from signing, and scanned it. With an evil smile, she grabbed the proffered pen and scrawled her name on it. "There, all set."  
  
"Not quite," said Mr. Traverse, glancing at yet another document. "This details the agreement under which the Council gains consultative status with Mr. Carpenter. I trust you will find everything in order. Mr. Wesley Wyndham-Price will act as the Council's liaison, and as Mr. Harris' instructor. He should be here within the week."  
  
"As the active Watcher, Mr. Harris, you may count on full cooperation from the Council and its members and associates."  
  
Willow read and reread the document, looking for anything that might differ from the agreement as it was explained to her. Not finding any, she signed the document, and passed it back to Mr. Travers.  
  
"Excellent," smiled Mr. Travers. He withdrew two pieces of equipment from his valise. One was a portable document scanner, which he plugged into the IBM Thinkpad. Quickly he fed the documents through the scanner, and started playing with a small aerial, that extended out from the side of the Thinkpad, while squinting at the screen.   
  
After some frustrated mutterings, and some help from Willow, he pressed a button.  
  
"I have just faxed the documents to Great Britain. A copy has also been faxed to your farm, as per agreement." He returned the items and documents to his valise. "Putting aside any animosity between us, I wish you good fortune."  
  
"This I believe finishes our business."   
  
"Oh good." Buffy raised her hand. "I can go now?"  
  
"I wouldn't know. I'm not your Watcher."  
  
"You were going to break your promise," Willow screamed at Xander, after she was sure that Travers had gone.   
  
"Willow, I..I..", Xander stared at the furious witch stunned, not knowing what to do next. "I so can't do this."  
  
"Well you got to."  
  
"Willow, calm. Do the calm thing."  
  
"Don't tell me to do the calm thing. You promised. You were going to be Buffy's Watcher, and you were trying to get out of it."  
  
"I don't need this either," Xander shouted, shoving his chair back. "I'm outta here."  
  
"Xander! I'm not finished."  
  
"Uh Wills," a nervous Buffy said. "You're not going to do something are you. Cause he's my Watcher and I, sort of, have to protect him. You know."  
  
"I know Buffy," Willow said, taking deep breaths. "No, I'm not going to do something."   
  
A smile played across Willow's lips, growing to a full fledged giggle. "God that felt good. Did you see the look on his face?"  
  
Buffy smiled, relieved that this particular storm had passed.  
  
"Poor Xander, he really doesn't know what hit him."  
  
**********************************************************  
"Ah," Xander dropped into the empty chair, across from Buffy and beside Willow. "The usual suspects are all here."  
  
"Where have you been the last two days," demanded Willow.  
  
"Yeah, isn't it about time we started playing Watcher - Slayer?" Buffy grinned at him.  
  
"I needed to think about what I'm going to do. I mean, Giles did a great job as Buffy's Watcher, and I know I'm never going to be half as good, but I want to be as good as I can be.  
  
"So I've been around thinking, getting a computer to help with the research and the diaries I have to write, getting it hooked up to the net, and coming up with a plan."   
  
"Buffy, you're right, you lucky girl. It is time we started playing Watcher-Slayer, and we will, starting six am tomorrow morning."  
  
"Six AM," Buffy frowned. "But I'm never up that early."  
  
"Which is why you miss some great sunrises. That won't be a problem any more. We'll meet in that open space just in front of the barn. There's that room across from Willow's Loft, or you can stay with her, whichever you prefer. We'll just have some fun with calisthenics."  
  
"Calisthenics?"  
  
"yah, you know, push ups, jumping jacks, that kind of stuff. Get your blood moving, all ready for another day of college and slayage."  
  
"My blood moves just fine, thank you very much. If you think that..."  
  
"Buffy, he is your Watcher, and isn't this like part of his job? You did agree."  
  
"Okay, okay, six am she-ee-eesh, I'll be there. But I'd like to know why Nat thinks Xander would make a good Watcher?"  
  
"Which is something we'd all like to know. Including Nat."   
  
Xander turned his attention to Willow, with a lopsided grin. "Care to tell us about it Will?"  
  
"I er ah..." Willow coloured under the eyes of her two best friends.  
  
"You mean," Buffy gestured vaguely.   
  
"Would you have picked me as your Watcher? If the idea hadn't been suggested."   
  
Buffy thought a moment, then, almost reluctantly, shook her head.  
  
"I thought not, neither was I Nat's first choice, though he seems to think I can do the job. So, it appeares that someone was being really really persuasive."  
  
Willow hid her face in her arms.  
  
"Now Nat doesn't know, not for sure, but he does suspect. He , sort of, asked me to help Willow along with her physical training. Which is why she will be joining us for our early morning festivities."   
  
Willow jerked her head up and stared, wide eyed, at him.  
  
"As an active and enthusiastic participant."  
  
"Right Willow?"  
  
"Right," she sighed.  
********************************************************  
  
"Six days." Willow hauled her aching body up the stairs to her loft. "Six days of calisthenics every morning, and I've still got sore muscles where I didn't know I had any."  
  
Buffy grinned as she flopped down on her bed. Being the Slayer an hour of exercises every morning was a snap, though she wished that she didn't have to do them.   
  
Still she was getting to see some good sunrises.  
  
She'd never tell Xander that.  
  
"You'll get used to it, once you stop using your magick."  
  
"What, I don't cheat."  
  
Buffy grinned at the outrage in Willow's eyes. "You think I haven't noticed a thing or two, training with you?"  
  
"Okay, a little. I guess." Willow stripped off her sweat soaked clothes. "Just enough so I can keep up. Still sore though. I thought Xander was my friend."  
  
"It's only an hour." Buffy lay back on her bed. "We get an hour break before we have to get ready for school."  
  
"You mean you get an hour's break," Willow groused, pulling clean clothes out of her closet. "I have to go help Xander with his computer."  
  
"How's that going," Buffy asked.  
  
"Great, just great." Willow finished dressing and turned towards the door. "It would go even better if he'd gotten a good computer, instead of some dinky little Macintosh that he lifted out of someone's garbage."  
  
"Well, next time, don't be so persuasive."  
  
Willow slammed the door shut behind her.  
  
**********************************************************   
  
"Hello."  
  
Willow jerked, reaching automatically for her staff. As she had done for the last few nights, she had climbed the hill behind the farm, to just about the top, where there was a moss covered rock, she liked to sit on and think. And when she wanted to get away from the others.  
  
"A - Angel." Willow stared at the tall vampire standing at the top of the hill.  
  
"Pretty risky, out here in the dark, all alone." Angel moved down the hill towards her.  
  
"Uh no, not really. No vampires here, except you're here and I uh got my staff, and um..."  
  
"Saw three of Spike's boy down below, in the trees at the edge of your farm." Willow's eyes grew big, and she frantically looking around. "They said they had orders, strictly enforced, no one hunts on this farm. No one harms the Slayer or her friends."  
  
"That's nice, I think. You didn't..."  
  
"Nope, their still there. I thought I'd see what's going on before drawing too much attention to myself." Angel gazed at Willow. "What's going on Willow?"  
  
So Willow told him. Letting it all come out in one stream of words, broken only by her need to breathe.   
  
"Xander's her Watcher? How'd that happen?"  
  
"I, sort of, uh, suggested him. Buffy wouldn't have liked anyone the Council picked, and we needed someone who already knew what's going on, and .."  
  
"I'm guessing you helped the idea along."  
  
Willow nodded mortified. Were her bad things that easy to find out? Except, she didn't really think she'd done a bad thing.  
  
"He can do it," she said firmly. "It's been a week, and Buffy's cooperating with him and everything. We all help. He's learning. Angel, how long can they stay mad at me. I really hate jumping jacks."  
  
"Jumping jacks?"  
  
It was fortunate for the Vampire that the Magus' Apprentice couldn't see the smile on his face.  
  
  
"Calisthenics. Xander has Buffy and me out every morning at six, doing exercises."  
  
"I can see Buffy, but why you?"  
  
"Because they're mad at me, for what I did."  
  
"People don't like having their thoughts manipulated. It's an invasion at a really basic level. It'll blow over in time."  
  
"Yeah, when I'm old and gray."  
  
"Long before that," Angel assured her. He got to his feet and stretched. "Think I'll go talk to Xander."  
  
"Don't stay out too long."  
  
"I won't"  
  
-----------------------------------------------------------  
Xander cursed as he scrolled down the list of email. Most were from fellow Watchers, congratulating him on becoming the Watcher of the Current Slayer, wishing him the best of luck, and promising their help and support. He slammed a floppy into the drive and sent them all there. Later he'd get Willow to show him how to do a one letter fits all, and do a mass mailing. Right now, he had more important things to do.  
  
Like getting through the Watchers Manual that Wesley had sent down. Like all this reading up on prophecies, trying to decide which ones were real and which ones were just wishful thinking. Like turning Buffy's reports into something he could send in to the Council without them asking him to translate them into English. Like getting out of bed early enough so that he could exercise with them each morning, and, no, he wasn't going to do one less push up or jumping jack than he made them do. Even if they finished before he did.  
  
There was a knock at the door.  
  
"Come in, its open."  
  
"It's Angel."  
  
"Dead boy?"  
  
There was a growl from the door.  
  
"You're invited." Xander ran a hand through his hair.  
  
Angel glanced around the room, at the stacks of open books piled everywhere. He crossed the room to look over Xander's shoulder.  
  
"What's that," he asked indicating the computer.  
  
"Macintosh Plus. Found it in someone's garbage and took it home years ago. Never had a use for it until now."  
  
"Can it do graphics?"  
  
"Naw, and most of what I read I don't want to see. My imagination's scary enough." Xander waved at Angel. "Clear off a chair if you want, or sit on the table. Don't matter to me. Too tired to care." He turned back to the computer. "Someone, probably Willow, sold the Council on modern technology. Now they think it's the greatest thing since sliced bread. Kind of makes me appreciate Giles view of the thing."  
  
"Don't be too hard on her. She has good ideas."  
  
"Most of the time."  
  
"Most of the time?"  
  
"Making me Buffy's Watcher wasn't one of her better ones."  
  
"Not her worst either."  
  
Xander craned his neck around to look at Angel. "Huh?"  
  
"Oh, don't get me wrong, there's lots of better choices for Buffy's Watcher. You were here, and they weren't. It's not like you can't do it. You just have to apply yourself. Take it, and yourself, seriously."  
  
"That's what I've been trying to do. I'm not Giles."  
  
"No one expects you to be."  
  
"Much as I appreciate your input, I so don't need this."  
  
"Yes you do, you're pushing too hard."  
  
"I'm not pushing Buffy any harder than Giles ever did."  
  
"Not Buffy, you." Angel smiled. "She probably needs it. But you're not doing her, or yourself, any favour if you burn yourself out when she really needs you."  
  
Xander opened his mouth to protest, and then snapped it shut. Angel wasn't finished yet.  
  
"No secret, I like you about as much as you like me, maybe even less. That doesn't mean that I haven't learned anything about you and gained some respect for your abilities, when you choose to apply them. You have two reactions to difficult situations. You run and hide behind these lame jokes of yours, or you charge bull-headed right at it. You got to find a place in between the two, where you can relax, and still move forward."  
  
"No matter what Willow has done, they wouldn't have given you the job if they didn't think you could do it. You just need to loosen up a bit."  
  
The door opened and Buffy entered.  
  
"He's right you know. I like my Watchers relaxed and loose." She turned to Angel. "What brings you to town, or close to it anyway? Cordy and Wes here?"  
  
"They'll be down in a couple days. I came a little early. Willow told me what's happening, and I want to help."  
  
"That's great, isn't it Xand," she turned to look at Xander. Who only nodded.  
  
"What's the deal between you and Spike?"  
  
"Deal," Buffy looked confused. "I haven't talked to, or seen, Spike in a while."  
  
"I ran into three of his boys keeping watch over Willow."  
  
"What," cried Buffy and Xander in unison. "Where is she, how is she?"  
  
"She was fine when I left her. She's most of the way up the hill behind here. She seems to think you guy are mad at her."  
  
"Mad at her, well a little I guess. But..."  
  
"What were they doing," demanded Buffy.  
  
"Watching her. They say Spike's orders are that none of you are to be harmed, or allowed to be harmed. It's being enforced."  
  
"Probably saving me for the Horsemen," muttered Buffy. "But it does explain one thing." Buffy turned to face Xander. "When I was in the park, I was attacked by these two werewolves. I was just about to fight when these two vamps grabbed me and dragged me back against a tree. Then a bunch of vamps came out of the bushes and attacked the werewolves killing them. They left right after, and I got thrown into the bushes. By the time I got out, they'd made a clean get a way."  



	4. Default Chapter Title

**** **** ***** ***** ***** ******   
Disclaimer. Characters, except for Nathanial Carpenter and Meg, belong to Joss Whedon and Fox tv, etc. Used without permission  
feedback: Would be nice.  
**********************************************************  
  
I was taking a little down time, just sitting there on the veranda gazing at the stars. Trying to recover from the head ache that astral projection always gave me. Especially when I have to fight while there, like I did this morning. Nudging the horde in the direction I wanted. Throwing up barricades that enforced the direction. They knew what I was doing too. So they sent out their scouts whenever they felt my presence. They were getting good at it.  
  
That was over and done with, for now, I had a good idea where I wanted them coming, and was formulating a plan to handle them when the time came. But that could wait, I needed down time, I was taking it. Gazing at the stars.  
  
I looked up as the door opened, and Buffy came out. She spotted an empty chair beside mine, headed over to claim it, and then hesitated, confused. She looked at me.  
  
"Come sit," I invited. "Join me. Meg will be out soon with some hot chocolate."  
  
Yeah sure," she took the seat, and looked at the night sky. "Pretty isn't it. Never seen them like this."  
  
"We don't have as much light pollution out here."  
  
"Light pollution?"  
  
"Yeah, take a look at Sunnydale, see all the light?"  
  
"Yeah. So?"  
  
"So that light interferes with our ability to see the light from the stars. Out here in the boonies, we see more stars than you do in town."  
  
"Oh."  
  
We sat in silence for a while. I sensed she wanted to say something, but didn't know how to say it.  
  
"Xander treating you okay?"  
  
"Xander, I miss the old funny witty caring Xander. The one who makes me laugh." Buffy seemed a little surprised at what she was saying, but she carried on. "Instead of him, I got the Xander who makes me do push ups. I thought with him as my Watcher I'd be freer. But in ways, he's more of a taskmaster than they ever were."  
  
"Xander is still Xander. You just saw what you wanted to see, or he wanted you to see.. Nobody sees everything about someone else. Nor do they show everything about themselves. The Xander you miss will be back soon enough.""  
  
"Like you? You don't show or tell everything."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"I used to think you were like the Watchers, sitting in your libraries, sending others out to fight, or die. Its not like that, is it?"  
  
"Sometimes, it is necessary to do that, send someone to fight, knowing that he will not return. Some would say that is what I am doing. Gathering forces to fight in a battle we cannot win."  
  
"You don't think we will survive?"  
  
"There are so very many of them, and so very few of us. Sometimes, I think we're like the Spartans at Thermopylae."  
  
"Thermopoly?"  
  
"Thermopylae,a valley in Greece amid high hills. On one side is the sea, on the other Mount Oeta. In 480 BC, Xerxes lead a massive Persian army in an invasion of Greece, and there, he met a force of 300 Spartans, under King Leonidas. The Spartans fought to the last man and with their sacrifice, Greece was given time to gather her armies."  
  
"Did they win, the Greeks?"  
  
"No, I don't believe they did. But without Thermopylae, they would have had no chance."  
  
"That's what were doing, giving the rest of the world a chance to prepare, to surive?"  
  
"Sometimes that is all we can do."  
  
Willow doesn't think you'll make it. You're using too much energy in your hit and run tactics."  
  
"How could I expect you, or any of the others, to die for a cause, if I am not willing to lay down my life for it?"  
  
"But in the end, I will not be alone." I described the network of Magi, and Wiccans that would be drawn together to transfer power to me, and to Willow "There'll be enough power to get the job done."  
  
"Yeah, but not enough for you to survive."  
  
"One does what one can."  
  
"Can't you get another Magi to come help?"  
  
"A good number will, if only to see that I don't become too powerful. They should be here next week, Watchers, and Magi and Wiccans, all pledged to the fight."  
  
"So you're it for now."  
  
"For now. Willow may have to pitch in and help before this is over. But that's for later."  
  
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***  
  
They did come. Three days ago, this field was empty. Now it was a small town of tents, camp lights, camp stoves. Off in one corner, a barbecue was in progress.   
  
It had been decided that the Horsemen would be herded to a small valley south of here, where the surrounding hills were high enough to form a good bottleneck. Watchers, Magi, their apprentices, Wiccans, and other personnel arrived to make the strike force.   
  
Over to one side, Willow was lecturing to some of the younger Apprentices and Wiccans.   
  
The others were around somewhere, but I was more interested in three figures standing off to one side, watching the lecture.  
  
"A remarkable girl," said the portliest one as I drew near. Professor Johan Hauptmann was the best Magician I had ever studied under at the Academy. "Grown even more remarkable since she had the good fortune to become your Apprentice."  
  
"Anything I am, you helped to make."  
  
"Then for once, I have succeeded." The Professor, for that was what I thought of him, smiled, strong white teeth flashing under a thick bunch of white hair. He looked at me, blue eyes twinkling. "I had thought myself well rid of you."  
  
"Now, Professor..."   
  
He held up a hand. "Here, I am not your Professor. Here I am a soldier, and you are my leader." He grinned. "Later, when this is over, we can find a quiet corner of whatever Hell they put us in, there you can call me Professor and I shall lecture you endlessly for your sins."  
  
"You will always be Professor." I started to feel a camaraderie I had lost since leaving the Academy. " I've never known you to put off a lecture."  
  
"Do you doubt the wisdom of this?" Professor Hauptmann spread out his arms, to encompass the camp.  
  
"I sometimes wonder about my ability to be the leader."  
  
"If you doubt, do it where no one can see. If you choose wrong, then you must make another decision, and once that decision is made, there is no room to doubt it. If you do, and others see that you do, then they will doubt all the more."  
  
"He's right you know." We had moved away from Willow's lecture, and were walking around the perimeter of the field. The speaker moved under a light.   
  
"Sven Thorensson," I exclaimed clasping his hand. Sven was a couple years ahead of me, but still became my closest friend and confidant at the Academy. "What brings you from Norway?"  
  
"It is good to see you my friend. I always knew you'd lead us to our deaths. I would regret it if I were not a witness to you doing it."  
  
"Such optimism warms my heart."  
  
"I have brought someone else for you to meet." Sven reached out and drew a girl into the light. "This is Heidi, my baby sister."  
  
"I am pleased to meet you Mr. Carpenter." She dimpled, and ducked her head. For a baby sister, she was almost as tall as her brother, ash blonde hair, blue sparkling eyes. I told her to call me Nathaniel.  
  
"She has proven herself as a Wiccan," Sven said proudly. "She was going to the Academy, and then she was going to be my Apprentice. But after seeing yours, I'm beginning to think the Academy a waste of time."  
  
"No method of learning is a waste," Professor Hauptmann assured him. "Some are more suited to one method than to others."  
  
"She will still be my Apprentice," Sven announced. "If Nat doesn't get us killed first."  
  
"I will do my best," I assured him, and possibly myself. "Perhaps you should have left her home."  
  
"She wanted to come." Sven grew serious. "If we fail, not even the Oslofjord will keep her safe."  
  
By this time we had come up near a group of men and women, all dressed in tweed despite the weather. All, that is, except for Xander who was busy arguing with one of the Watchers, who was taking him to task for not having enough control over Buffy.  
  
"That Watcher, the new one, Xander," said Professor Hauptmann. "How is he working out?"  
  
"Quite well actually." We moved on, and I noted a form leave the group to follow closely behind us. "Oh there were rough spots for the first week, mainly because he's never learned to believe in himself and his abilities. When she accepted being back with the Council, Buffy worked with him almost night and day, getting him to believe that he was worth more than a laugh or two. Willow helped him to see his potential. I can still hear the fights, but finally they worked things out. The Council kept their word, and is supplying as much help and training as they can."  
  
"But he is not your Mr. Giles."  
  
"No, he isn't."  
  
"I have been thinking on this for some time." Professor Hauptmann enunciated his words clearly. "Ever since you contacted me. The only thing I can think of, that might help, is the Life Transference Ritual. I left the instructions on my web page."  
  
"That ritual requires the voluntary sacrifice of one of his friends. I doubt that Giles would want that. Or that one of his friends would agree."  
  
But he would adjust? If this were done."  
  
"Yes, once the ritual was done. I don't imagine that he would throw it away."  
  
"Does he have any close friends, family?"  
  
No. His work usually brings him into contact with the Slayer and her friends. He doesn't encourage other friendships."  
  
"That is too bad. It should be one of these Slayerettes then, if we are to be assured of success."  
  
"Willow and Xander are needed where they are, Oz is excluded because he is not exclusively human."  
  
"There are no others."  
  
"Angel is a Vampire, and Cordelia is the only other one. . I do not think she would do this."  
  
"Not even to save the world?"  
  
"Afraid not." We walked on, I checked to see if we were still being followed. We were.  
  
"I have found a way where the ritual could be performed without a close friend. There is small chance of success, but a chance none the less." Sven paused thinking, glancing at his sister. "Heidi has already volunteered."  
  
I turned to look at her. She smiled and ducked her head.   
  
"It would be a great honour," she said. "To die for such a man, that the world might continue."  
  
"What happens if it doesn't work?"  
  
"Then we will have tried."  
  
"And my death will have found meaning, in the trying."  
  
I lifted a finger as I sensed our follower slipping away. I waited until I was sure we were alone, and slumped, nearly falling.  
  
"Did it work?" Professor Hauptmann slipped an arm around my shoulders, supporting me, Sven grabbed the other side.  
  
"Yes," I whispered. "I think so."  
  
"You hate yourself now?"  
  
"Yes," more emphatically.  
  
"Do not. There will be plenty, who will be glad to do that for you."  
  
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***  
Three days later, Giles left the hospital.  
  
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***  
  
"I haven't had so much fun in a long time!" The speaker twisted and turned, between blasts of dark energy. The Horde thundered beneath us, and we blasted it in the only major engagement planned before it reached Earth. The Horde fired with all it had, dropping some of us, making it difficult for the rest of us to get in clean shots.   
  
Fun, I thought as I twisted desperately away from a searing blast. Fun, maybe his mind would have been changed if he'd seen the pretty young apprentice, a Magus for all of ten seconds, before she died, gibberous horror playing in her eyes.   
  
Yeah, that was fun.  
  
The scene below us was chaotic, and about to get worse. I could see Professor Hauptmann and Sven fly into position, with other hand picked Magi moving into position.   
  
"Apprentices, all others, leave now," I mind shouted. I counted ten. "Willow Now!"  
  
The front runners of the Horde had passed over the spot where she had been hidden, and the greatest mass was passing over, when the ground erupted up from underneath them. Sending mount and demon flying every which way. The Magi fired into the spreading chaos, allowing a red headed Magician time to shoot up from her hiding place, and out of sight. I saw a smile of triumph as she passed my position.  
  
"Your turn Carpenter," Professor Hauptmann mind shouted as he, and the other Magi moved into the star position. "Go now!"  
  
I did as I was told. We had done some damage, though they'd been waiting. Gained some time, I could only hope it was enough as I spiraled up and away, avoiding the winged demons. That and that the others would get out safely.  
  
*** *** *** *** **** **** *** **** ***  
I can't say how Willow was feeling, but I had a spitting headache. I was bruised, and any parts of me injured astrally found its physical counter part, doubly so. Not actually injured, but the pain was real. I would have enjoyed staying in bed, but sometimes you don't have a choice. So I got up, moaned, and stumbled down stairs.  
  
"Good lord," came a voice from the kitchen. Mrs. Summers raced up to catch me, just as I started to trip over the last step. What was she doing here. Oh, yeah, she had appeared at the door a week ago, asking if she could stay, wanting to be near Buffy. "You go right back up, and get back in bed."  
  
"No time," I muttered, briefly wondering what the white specks that appeared to be floating in the air were. "I got to get to the others. Important."  
  
"Okay then I'll help you get there, just don't mind the flour. I've been baking bread ever since Willow came home this morning. Wasn't she with you? Astrally I mean."  
  
Mrs. Summers guided me down the hall, turning right into the library. Meg was there, looking upset, no doubt about being chased out of her own kitchen. So was Willow, holding her head at a table, talking quietly to Giles.   
  
I was happy to see Professor Hauptmann. Sven and Heidi over in a corner, looking the worse for wear. But alive.  
  
Meg and Mrs. Summers helped me over to the couch.  
  
Buffy was doing push ups on a training mat, under Xander's watchful eyes. He glanced at me, paled, and started for me. "You got fifty more to do," he told her. "Don't stop."  
  
"You just like watching me do this.," she grunted.  
  
"What happened out there? Willow never told us anything."  
  
I didn't answer right away, the room faded, and swung like a pin wheel. Willow rushed over, her eyes looking at mine. Behind her, Giles appeared. By the time the room dropped back to normal, a blonde head had joined the others.  
  
"We did some damage. Gained a week, two at most."  
  
"That gives us three weeks 'till they come." Xander did the math. "Are we going to be ready in time. I mean..."  
  
"Plan for less. Can't go up against them again. Meg, she ready?"  
  
Meg bobbed her head. "She's had her lunch. I bring her?"  
  
I nodded.  
  
"Bring who?"  
  
"Cordelia. Didn't die. Explain when gets here."  
  
"Weapons locker, cloth roll, blue, get it."  
  
"I'll get it," said Willow, suiting action to words. I watched her, scanned her. Thankful that her effort wasn't taking the toll I was was feeling. She was hurting, nothing could have avoided that. Magick has a price, and the more used, the higher the price. She didn't complain. I was proud of my apprentice.  
  
"The least you could have done was give me something decent to wear." Cordelia came into the library, wearing pajamas covered with a white flannel robe. "Really, I mean, they expect more of me."  
  
I don't think anyone even noticed what she was wearing.  
  
"And you," Cordelia stood over the couch. "Grim and silent here told me that you'd explain what happened. And what meat grinder did you fall out of? Never mind, just tell me why I'm still alive."  
  
"You are immortal."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Immortal."  
  
"You mean I can't die. Then what happened?"  
  
"You died, can die. Just come back to life. Willow..."  
  
"I'm here."  
  
"Give her package."  
  
"Swords? What am I supposed to do with these?"  
  
"Amaratzu steel, finest Japanese craftsmanship. Learn to use, to fight. Buffy, Willow will help?"  
  
"Why? If I'm immortal, and I'll just come back to life, why do I need to learn to fight."  
  
"There can be only one."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You die... final death... if head removed from body. Other immortals, like you, will try"  
  
"You mean, other immortals will try to kill me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
But why?"  
  
"Prize for last immortal Not sure."  
  
The room faded, and he voices that started babbling all at once died out.  
  
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** **  
  
"So what happened?" I woke up in my bed. Willow was sitting there, and had fetched me a cup of herb tea, and a scone Mrs. Summers had baked this morning. "How long have I been out?"  
  
"Five hours." Willow glanced at me. "You scared everybody, when you faded out. Luckily Giles found a pulse and He and Meg brought you up here. Uhm, I wouldn't go near Buffy for a while though. She's pretty wigged."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"Yeah, she started screaming about what you'd put her through. She was so mad that she swore at her mother. Something she has never done."  
  
"And? I can't see Mrs. Summers taking that from her daughter, even if she is the Slayer."  
  
"She didn't," Willow frowned. "They had a real screaming match. Then her mom made her do push ups, you know the hand clappy ones. The ones she really doesn't like."  
  
"I bet she really loved that."  
  
"It's not over yet." I looked past Willow to see Oz standing in the doorway. "When that was done, and you ran out of the room, they went to the kitchen. Mrs. S. is baking, and lecturing, up a storm, and Buffy is just barely keeping up with the washing. I'm going for flour, you wanna come?"  
  
Willow looked at me apologetically. I nodded, and she scampered out of the room.  
  
"Giles is waiting to talk to you."  
  
I sighed, it wasn't hard to figure out what he wanted to talk about.  
  
"Send him in."  
  
"Your funeral."  
  
**** *** **** ***  
  
"Feeling better?" Giles came in, his eyes icy, as he regarded me through his glasses.  
  
"Moderately," I answered, "though I doubt my health is what you came to talk about."  
  
"you're right, it isn't."  
  
"Lets cut the sparring, and get on with it."  
  
"Okay. First off, Who's idea was it to go to the council?"  
  
"There wasn't a choice. You've developed the ability to winkle out the good prophecies from the bad. No one else could. But that facet had to be covered, and the Watchers are the only ones who could have helped.""  
  
"I've seen these kids do some amazing things."  
  
"They still do, and will continue to do so. But you don't send them out with less than the information they need and expect them to pull a rabbit out of the hat. You can't expect miracles all the time. ."   
  
I stopped, seeing the look of pain on his face.   
  
"Look, its not your fault. It was done to you, you didn't cut out. But we still needed someone to do your job, and that someone needed the backing, the knowledge, and the expertise of the Watcher's Council. You still have a lot of training to undergo, we still need them.""  
  
"I can't believe they chose Xander."  
  
"Why not? You just never gave him the credit he deserved, or saw the man beneath the boy." I laughed bitterly. "You never even looked to see what he might be hiding with that comic routine of his."  
  
"This wasn't the best time for him to start."  
  
"It isn't like there was a whole lot of choice."   
  
"So they just accepted it."  
  
"They didn't get much choice anyway."  
  
"What did you tell them?"  
  
"I told them that if they didn't take the deal, I, and the other Magi, would go all out against the Horsemen and leave them to deal with the aftermath."  
  
"You'd have done that?"  
  
"No, but they didn't need to know it."  
  
"If I was so important, why didn't you have them perform the life transference ritual when I went down?" You knew about the ritual." Giles stared hard at me. "Don't deny it."  
  
"Sure I knew. But what would you have me do? Ask Cordelia if she would kindly allow herself to be killed? I knew what she was, she didn't, nor was she likely to believe me if I told her. Should I have taken Buffy aside and suggested that she shove a knife through Cordelia's heart for the greater good? Would she have done it?"  
  
"She did shove a knife through Cordelia's heart."  
  
"Cordelia made the choice. That's what made the sacrifice valid."  
  
"What about me, do you think I'd want that? That I could live with that kind of sacrifice?"  
  
"You want to honour what she did you will. Cordelia isn't, wasn't a fighter, though I'm told she's getting better at it. Oh, she can handle one vampire, two in a pinch, but she didn't think she could do much against the Horsemen, when they came. She saw something she could do. If she couldn't fight to make a difference, she could maybe die to make a difference. She made a choice. You have to decide what to do with it."  
  
"But she didn't die."  
  
"She just didn't stay dead."  
  
"You've got everything figured out don't you."  
  
"I do my best."  
  
**********************************************************  
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***  
  
"Buffy," Riley walked beside her. "We know about the farm."  
  
"The..the farm?" Buffy wondered exactly how much he knew. If Riley knew then the Initiative knew. She didn't know whether that was good or bad.  
  
"Yes the farm." Riley turned Buffy so he could look into her eyes. "An old horse breeding place, just south of here. It used to be empty for years, now the place is hopping. Tents all over the place, archery practice, crossbows, sword fights. Your friends have been seen there, so you must know what's going on."  
  
"May be one of those SCA things, I think Willow has been thinking about joining." Buffy thought fast, wondering just how she was going to convince Willow to join, or even if there was a local chapter of the Society for Creative Anarchism. "Probably nothing."  
  
"Let's hope that's all it is."  
  
"Why, what's going on."  
  
"Nothing." Riley sounded distracted.   
  
"What," Buffy demanded. "What's gong on?" Is it the Initiative..."  
  
Her voice was cut off by a popping explosion off to their left. It was soon followed by the staccato of machine gun fire.  
  
"Finn, you get this," crackled an alarmed voice through his belt radio. 'The Initiative is under attack."  
  
"Under attack, but why?"  
  
Riley ignored Buffy, and raced for the nearest entrance.   
  
The door had been blasted open. Four commandos had come out, and lay just in front of the door, their guns chattering away at figures moving around in the dark. One passed under a light.  
  
"Spike," whispered Buffy. "What's he up to?"  
  
"Spike," asked Riley.  
  
"Yeah, that was one of his lieutenants." She paused listening. There was a whooshing sound as a flight of arrows flew into the gaping entrance.  
  
"You go right, I'll..."  
************************************************************  
Willow raised her eyes and glared at Graham, trying to ignore her cheek, where she had been backhanded.  
  
"Well," demanded Professor Walsh stepping into the room.   
  
"Nothing," growled Graham. He and a friend had grabbed Willow after classes that afternoon, and brought her in for questioning. Except she wasn't answering. This was her second questioning session. She had refused to answer anything, except name, age and academic standing. Something she had found very amusing, if he hadn't. It had been followed by a period of isolationism, in which she was supposed to have pondered her situation and, ideally, grown more frightened.  
  
Oh, she was scared, Graham could see it in her eyes. She was just not scared enough. He figured they were running out of time. The slayer...  
  
"Perhaps Finn will have more luck with Ms. Summers." Professor Walsh interrupted his thoughts.  
  
Graham snorted, believing that Finn had been compromised by the Slayer. He stepped towards Willow, raising his arms, and fell to the ground under the force of a rumbling explosion.  
  
"What's going on," snapped Professor Walsh, getting to her feet.  
  
Graham grabbed a radio, and snapped it on. He barked an order, and listened to the staticy voices.  
  
"We're under attack," he shouted at Professor Walsh. "Entrances to sectors A, C, D and F have been blasted open. They've got projectile weapons, organization. They're inside, in overwhelming numbers."  
  
"Who's inside."  
  
"Vampires." Graham listened some more. "Hostile 19's been seen, sector A. He's released the Hostiles in the holding area."  
  
"That's impossible, Vampires don't have the discipline for this." snapped Professor Walsh. "I put its implant in myself."  
  
"Well it's not working," Graham snapped. "They'll be here any moment. The whole place is compromised."  
  
"We're here now," A blond head poked itself into the door, fully vamped out. Two more vampires slid into the room, cross bows trained on Professor Walsh and Forrest. "Might not be a good time to move, ducks. Orders are not to harm you, but if you give us no choice." Spike shrugged.  
  
"Orders," sneered Professor Walsh," since when do Vampires take orders from anyone."  
  
"Not often," I said stepping into the room. "But they can be quite cooperative, under the right leadership and against a common enemy."  
  
"Who are you," hissed Professor Walsh. "What's the meaning of this?"  
  
I ignored her, preferring to check up on my Apprentice. Fortunately, there was little physically wrong, and she was freed of her shackles.   
  
There was a commotion at the door, and Buffy and Riley were shoved into the room. Each held by three Vampires.  
  
"Willow," cried Buffy. "What?"  
  
I looked at her hard.   
  
"Shackle them, and bring them," I nodded to the Professor and Graham, who'd backed up against a wall. I glanced again at Buffy and Riley. "Them too."  
  
Riley started to struggle. I nodded. A vampire grinned, picked up a piece of wood, and knocked Riley unconscious.  
  
Buffy glared at me. But didn't struggle as her arms were shackled behind her back.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
"Do you know what you have done?" We were in my office, back at the farm. Where we created quite a stir when Buffy was led, shackled, into the house. She was seated, still shackled, next to Graham and Professor Walsh, who was the speaker. "You have allied yourself with these monsters, against your own people. Become a traitor to your own kind, your country."  
  
"I have done merely what you were trying to do, make soldiers out of them. Now as to my Apprentice, and your abducting her."  
  
"You should worry more about your future," Professor Walsh hissed. "They will find us."  
  
I opened a little brown case, and dumped the contents onto the desk. Little gray chips. Graham paled when he saw them.  
  
"Not with these they won't."  
  
"But how..."  
  
"Not difficult," I answered. "But you're right. Eventually someone would think to look here. I suppose I could send you through the mirror."  
  
Both Professor and Graham paled when they saw the mirror.  
  
It was an oak framed oval full length affair that I kept in the corner of my office. And kept for more than just admiring my beauty.   
  
It showed a grassy plain disappearing fast under the thundering hooves of demon ridden steeds.  
  
"I dare say you wouldn't last long, but they wouldn't find you here, or any trace."  
  
"I could keep you here, using my talents to keep you hidden and your friends unaware. They could kill you when they get here."  
  
"They're...coming...here?"  
  
"Graham," snapped Professor Walsh. "Be quiet."  
  
"They're coming," I answered him. "Very soon."  
  
"Who, what are they?"  
  
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." I proceeded to describe briefly what they were, what they were coming for, and what I was doing about it."  
  
"You think you can stop them?"  
  
"All I can do is try."  
  
"You don't have the resources," sneered Professor Walsh. "If you would have come to us, cooperated with us, this threat could have been averted. This unpleasantness could have been avoided. As it is..." She left the question hanging.  
  
"Professor, they could still cooperate with us," Graham suggested sitting forward. "Maybe we could forget this ever happened."  
  
"A possibility." Professor Walsh appeared to think a moment. "I think you will find the government is generous with its allies. Yes, we shall forget this ever happened."  
  
"When this crisis is over?"  
  
"Life goes back to normal." She shrugged. "As before."  
  
"She's lying."  
  
The speaker was a brown haired woman, sitting beside my desk, unobtrusively taking notes.  
  
"Tamara is an excellent telepath, quite adept at picking up lies."   
  
"No, I think it best you remain here. I'm sure your assistant can handle your classes. As there are too few of us to act as your guards," Forrest smirked, "during the daytime at least. I will place a geas on you. You will have complete freedom to move about this farm, to talk to anyone you choose."  
  
"You will have no desire to leave the boundaries of this farm, or communicate with others off this farm, or be seen by anyone not of this farm."  
  
"This geas will be removed when this threat is dealt with?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
I pronounced the spell, and Professor Walsh and Graham were escorted out, and shown to their rooms.  
  
Which left Buffy sitting on the couch, staring at me.  
  
I waggled a finger, and her shackles fell off.  
  
"Did you have to do this," she asked rubbing her wrists.  
  
"Verisimilitude." She looked confused. "It had to appear real," I explained. "As the Slayer, the geas has no effect on you. But I would ask that you limit your absences to times when they are not apt to notice."  
  
She nodded glumly and left.  
  
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***  
  
"It seems we got a problem boys." General Sherman T. Hogg sat behind Professor Walsh's desk at the Initiative, glaring from under regulation cut eyebrows. "I have some questions to ask. I hope you don't mind answering."  
  
"Sir Yes sir." Forrest stood at attention before the General. Beside him, Riley stood slightly more at ease.  
  
"Good." The General smiled his approval.   
  
"This Initiative was mandated to determine a way to turn Vampires and other demonkind into soldiers for Uncle Sam. Several millions of dollars has been spent on this program. Our research has shown that they aren't very good at organization. Yet, this Carpenter fellow seems to have done just that. Organized them, turned them into soldiers, and led them on a successful raid of this facility, leaving Uncle Sam with egg all over his face. How and why did he do that, gentlemen?"  
  
Forrest gulped. "We don't know sir, there must have been a spy?"  
  
"There must have been a spy," the General repeated. "A convenient answer." The General glanced at Riley. "Do you have a suggestion."  
  
"Sir, I believe that the Vampire army was cooperating with him, rather than working for him."  
  
"Why do you believe that?"  
  
"Sir, we know that vampires do not readily cooperate with each other, and when they do it is more like a gang, banded under a master vampire. Even then their cooperation is more out of fear of the leader, than any desire to cooperate. They do not cooperate with anyone outside their community, or gang, unless presented with a common enemy. In this case, us."  
  
"I see." The General steepled his fingers. "I can see why the vampires would consider us their enemy, but why this other fellow. He doesn't appear in any of the reports I've seen, yet he leads a raid against us. Why?"  
  
"Sir, his Apprentice was brought in for questioning."  
  
"Is this apprentice a vampire, demon?"  
  
"No sir, as far as I know, she's just a civilian. She attends UC Sunnydale."  
  
"Under the Rules of Engagement, no civilian was to be interrogated, or even investigated, without my express permission. I saw no request for such an operation."  
  
"Sir," Forrest swallowed. "The civilian in question, a Willow Rosenberg, has been known to have been involved with paranormal activity, and has been seen in the company of Hostile 19. Professor Walsh agreed to it."  
  
"I see. Perhaps then she deserved investigation. I presume she is safely back at this farm. There is no way to draw her out, or anyone else?"  
  
"Sir," Forrest looked uncomfortable. "The farm has taken on the characteristics of an armed camp. No one has entered or left except to replenish supplies."  
  
General Hogg looked astounded.   
  
"We have the biggest threat to the security of the United States of America located on a farm within our borders, and we can't even stop them from going shopping?"  
  
"Has it not occurred to you that they should be contained to their farm, at the very least."  
  
"Sir, yes sir. Several attempts has been made, Sir. However, the men report that their vehicles are clearly marked, and when ever one approaches, they feel an overwhelming desire to clear the road."  
  
"Who are the principals?"  
  
"Mr. Rupert Giles, Buffy Summers, Willow Rosenberg, and Xander Harris, those are the ones we know, Sir."  
  
"Occupations?"  
  
Mr. Giles is unemployed, the rest are students."  
  
"Students, young students, or older students."  
  
"Young sir."  
  
"Bring in their parents then. Perhaps we can use them to draw them out."  
  
Riley was about to protest when Forrest began speaking.  
  
"They're not there sir."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Professor Walsh suggested that an effective means of putting pressure on the members of a group is through family connections. "I sent men around to each of their residences. They were not there."  
  
"Well then gentlemen, I am open to suggestions."  
  
"We could stage a raid ourselves sir. With air support..."  
  
"The Senator would not appreciate having his constituents jolted out of their beds by falling bombs. He would not appreciate that at all."  
"  
  
"Sir," Riley said coming to attention. "May I make a suggestion."  
  
"You may."  
*******************************************************  
"You can't keep me here."  
  
I looked up at the thickset man who'd stormed into my office. Not only was he thickset, but he had a paunch that spilled over his belt, covered with a yellow tee shirt that wasn't quite wide enough to cover it.   
  
"Wife's a lawyer. Soon's we get outta here, she's gonna sue your sorry butt off. You can't frighten me with your cock a doodle doo stories."  
  
"No one is trying to frighten you Mr. Harris. We just felt it safer for you to be here. For you as well. You may leave whenever you wish."  
  
Mr. Harris smiled, and rose to his feet.  
  
"Then I'll be seeing you in court."  
  
"Perhaps, should we both survive that long."  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"There are other organizations, government organizations that may wish to stop us." I stressed the word government, because my background checks had revealed Mr. Harris to be deeply involved in the Militia movements, a good number of which were pro their brand of freedom, rather than freedom for all, the kind promoted by government. "They may feel that the best way of pressuring us is through you."  
  
"Why me?"  
  
"Because your son, Xander, is part of this organization."  
  
"That no account kid, he can look after himself."  
  
I smiled.  
  
"It appars that Xander shares the same opinion of you. I don't believe he would fall to that type of pressure should these organizations get their hands on you. I only wished to be fair. You are free to go, whenever you wish."  
  
Mr. Harris glared at me, I could almost see the wheels turning.   
  
"What if these organizations come after me?"  
  
"My protection ends when you leave this farm."  
  
***********************************************************  
  
"I just don't understand it." Sheila Rosenberg stood at the corral fence, watching as her daughter trained with Buffy. They were using staffs, and both of them were moving faster than it seemed humanly possible. "How can she do this?"  
  
"I don't know," Ira Rosenberg shook his head. "That thing she did with the pencil."  
  
'It must have been controlled with a string."  
  
"It was my pencil. I had just given it to her. You saw that. She did not even touch it."  
  
"Then it's drugs. We must have been drugged some how, I don't even know why we came out here."  
  
"It just felt necessary. Something we had to do."  
  
"What happened to our sweet Willow?"  
  
"Reality," said a voice beside them. Sheila looked to see Joyce Summers watching her aughter. "Just not the one we grew up with."  
  
"You...you know something about this?"  
  
"I know that what they said is true..."  
  
"You're as crazy as they are. You're part of it aren't you, and you got my daughter into it." Shela started moving towards Joyce, but stopped when Ira placed a hand on her shoulder. "You get my daughter out of this you hear," she screamed. "You let her go now!"  
  
"Sheila, you should go lay down. You're getting distraught. Things will be better later, when we get a chance to think about it."  
  
The Rosenbergs argued a bit longer, but finally Sheila stalked towards the house.  
  
"I apologize for my wife." Ira looked at his daughter, who had been distracted by the argument, and was standing staring at them. "It is a lot too take in."  
  
"Believe me, I went through it all when Buffy told me she was the Slayer, and I still wish I could get her out of it. I can't though, no matter how much I would like too."  
  
Joyce looked over at Ira. "You seem to take it quite calmly."  
  
"Calm," he chuckled. "I am not calm. Nether am I as insulated from my daughter's life as is her mother."  
  
"You knew this was going on?"  
  
"A little thing here, a little thing there it all adds up, and comes together like a picture puzzle."  
  
"You never tried to stop her?"  
  
"It was too late. If I had confronted her with what I knew and suspected, would she have stopped? Better to have her learn to fight against these things, rather than find her dead because she could not defend herself.  
  
"And I've always wondered."  
  
"Wondered?"  
  
"The Torah, you would call it the Old Testament, speaks of a war between God and certain of his Angels. These Angels were cast down from Heaven, and their Prince, Lucifer, which means Morning Star, was given dominion over this world. I always wondered who protected us against them."  



	5. Default Chapter Title

*******************************************************  
  
Disclaimer. Characters belong to Joss Whedon and Fox tv, etc. Used without permission  
  
feedback: Would be nice.  
  
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***  
  
"Quite a party you have out here son."  
  
I stared at the General seated in front of my desk. Riley had come out, requesting a meeting between us, and was generally surprised when I agreed. They had seen the Horsemen in my mirror, the General had watched slack jawed, and listened while I explained the situation.  
  
"You should have reported this," grumbled Riley.  
  
"I considered it," now it was Willow, Buffy, an Xander who were slack jawed. Giles and Wesley just watched. "Then I rejected it."  
  
"With all due respect, we just don't trust you, any more than we trust the Vampires, not to turn on us when it suits your purpose."  
  
Riley reddened.  
  
"Now why would you think that," asked the General."  
  
"Because, for some reason or other, we are different from the normal run of humanity. Now, that doesn't make us superior, it certainly doesn't make us inferior, but it makes us different. History has shown that humanity is not kind to those of its members that are different."  
  
"We haven't burned a witch at the stake in a long time."  
  
"No, imprisonment or institutialization are considered sufficient inducements for us to toe the line. You no longer seek to eliminate us, you merely seek to control us, to use us as weapons for your purposes."  
  
"Weapons?"  
  
"Isn't that what the Initiative's all about?"  
  
"You don't think you should serve your country? If your country requires it."  
  
"I don't think it should be forced." I looked levelly at the General. "I'm here to fight the Horsemen, not to get involved in nationalistic policies. If I were, Italy is my country, not the United States."  
  
"Listen boy," the General leaned forward in his seat. "I'm trying to give you a chance to redeem yourself for that little stunt you pulled last week. Now I'm real sorry your Apprentice got pulled in for questioning but..."  
  
"First," I held up a hand. "Don't call me boy, and I'm not your son. Second, your Initiative left me with little choice but to pull that stunt, as you term it."  
  
"Like it or not, the Horsemen," I waved dramatically at the mirror, are going to be stomping into this reality, and you're going to have them all over this part of California, real soon now. Within a day, they'll be all over North America. Two days, the World. You've got two choices, help or get out of the way."  
  
"A little late to be asking for help."  
  
"I'm not."  
  
"Then what are you doing?"  
  
"Establishing what side you are on."  
  
"Now hold on," barked the General. "This isn't getting us anywhere."   
  
"But sir, I..."  
  
The General held up a hand and Riley snapped his mouth shut and settled back in his seat. The General turned his eyes to me.   
  
"We've known for some time that something big was coming, something nasty that we, maybe, weren't able to handle. Our prisoners, the ones we could get talking, have been telling us. Our psychics have been warning us like crazy, but we've never been able to get a handle on it. It seems like you do."  
  
"It also seem to be in both our interests to step back, and put aside our difference. At least until this is over."  
  
"Fine with me," I said. He nodded, and the next few hours was spent going over strategies.  
  
Buffy looked at me, after they had left. "You sure you know what your doing."  
  
"We can't fight them and the Horsemen at the same time. There's also this. While you keep your friends close to your heart, you hold your enemies even closer."  
  
She puzzled that out a little before nodding and following after her friends.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
"You figure it'll all come down here?" Angel stood beside me on a hill overlooking a small valley to the south of Sunnydale. In my minds eye, I saw a plain stretching out beyond the far end. With a black line coming over the horizon." Everything points to it. Might be better than other locales. Wish I knew?"  
  
"We'll do it." Angel spoke with a confidence I wish I had.  
  
"I'll meet them there," I said pointing to a hill to our left, and midway down the valley. I'll take on the Horsemen. Willow will be opposite," I pointed to a hill midway down the right side. "She will wait until I have them fully engaged, and strike from behind. She will do her best to keep them from bearing their full attention on her. "Xander and Buffy, plus some of the Watchers and Magi will created a diversion, to keep the Horde from coming to the Horsemen's aid. Wesley and Giles, with a another group will do the same in another location. There will be other smaller groups of course, but those will be the main forces." I laughed bitterly, thinking of the numbers. "Such as they are. We hope to break the horde up into manageable portions, and take out the leaders."  
  
"How?"  
  
"By opening a portal behind, or near them, and pushing them through it."  
  
"Should work." Angel scanned the area. "Spike is gathering up the remnants of the master's old army, the ones that are left. He will have them here at night. He never let me in on his plans, but anything is to the good."  
  
"And then we go back to killing each other off."  
  
"Its his world too."  
  
"Let's go back." I sighed, thinking of all the things that were being done.  
  
We reached the house just in time to see Buffy on her way out."  
  
"Patrol?" Angel looked at her, "Want some company?"  
  
"Sure," Buffy's eyes sparkled as she contemplated being alone with Angel.  
  
"I think we can forego patrolling for now." They both looked at me as if I had grown another head. "Come inside. Please."  
  
They looked at each other, and followed me through the house. To the den, where the others were located."  
  
"I just canceled Buffy's patrols for tonight, and the next few nights..."  
  
"Until this is over, probably a good thing., said Willow looking at her hand. The Watchers gathered around the table didn't look pleased, looking at Xander, who looked at me."  
  
"What about the Vampires. Won't they be out hunting? We just let them go? Not that I'm disagreeing.""  
  
"We have three days, four tops, before things get hairy, it won't make much difference to the body count." I smiled, "Those that get turned may be better able to survive. You've done a great job with the training and the fighting and everything. You're, we're, as ready as we will ever be. Now you need time for yourselves. Time to be with friends, with family, to say good bye, whatever you want.  
  
"You're free to stay here, go to your homes. You're still off limits to the Vampire population, so you should be free to move about at night. Make your peace, and be back in two nights. We'll have a last night party, one last council of war."  
  
"Willow nodded. "Me for home. I want some time with my parents, some time in my room, my bed."  
  
"Me for the Bronze," said Xander. "I want to surround myself with people, loud music. Remind myself of why I'm doing this."  
  
In the end, the Scooby Gang all left, after hugging each other.   
  
"They'll be back," I told Wesley who had loudly stated his objections. "They probably won't survive this, and they know that, but they'll be back."  
  
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** ***  
  
"Oooh decorations," Willow poked her head into the library two days later. I was up a ladder , taping the last streamer in place. Meg was in the kitchen cooking. "Where's the rest," she asked entering, and placing some packages on the table. "They here yet?"  
  
"Buffy's here," I said climbing down the ladder. "So is Xander. They're down in the barn. Giles is out for a walk with the other Watchers, going over strategy. Xander would have gone with them, but felt he should spend more time with Buffy."  
  
"He's probably right." She looked distracted a moment. "How about you? You never took any time off." Accusatory.  
  
"Apparently you didn't quite forget everything," I told her, climbing down from the ladder. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have known. I didn't do anything strenuous."  
  
"That's good." I felt as well as heard the concern in her voice.   
  
"I don't want to lose you, M-Master." She had never called me that before, and I think her doing so now told me more about what she was feeling, than anything else. The connection between Master and Apprentice is a strongly felt one when the relationship works. Her lower lip quivered, and she lunged at me, wrapping her arms around me, squeezing for all she was worth.  
  
"None of that," I said gently, returning her hug, the connection working both ways. There was a noise at the door, and I looked up to see Oz standing there. If she noticed, she didn't care. Giles appeared behind him, they glanced at each other.  
  
"Saying goodbye," Oz told him.  
  
"You've taught me so much." Willow disengaged from the embrace," smiling through the tears. "How can I ever repay you, I owe you so much."  
  
"Just remember me," I told her, thinking back over the lessons I'd taught her. Of the eagerness with which she learned, and applied her lessons. Of the arguments we had had, when she thought her way was better, only giving in when she determined that I would not be moved. "That will be payment enough."  
  
"I will," she whispered drawing away from me. "Always."  
  
She squeaked when she turned, and saw Oz and Giles, who had been joined by Xander and Buffy. Willow pushed past them, and disappeared down the hall. Oz looked after her, then decided she needed to be alone. They looked at me. I looked at them, then turned and walked out onto the balcony.  
  
***********************************************************  
  
Willow screamed in frustation as she jammed her staff into an oncoming demon. It ashed under her magick almost immediately, but she paid it scant attention as she turned, readied for the next.   
  
It had all started so well. Everything was in place, everyone was ready when the demon horde ripped through the dimensions. Everyone had held their fire, except for a few magick blasts, a token resistance.  
  
Until the leaders had crossed a certain line.  
  
Then the Initiative forces had opened up with Water Cannons, water bombers, the tanks filled with Holy Water. The ensuing chaos made worse by their answering fire, Magi, Wizards, Wiccans, Apprentices and others poured energies into the milling horde.  
  
All except for Willow, who had been commanded to reserve her energies.   
  
The ground forces attacked. Scything through the demons, coming out the other side, turned back, attacked again.  
  
Still they poured through the gateway. For every demon that was ashed, ten more came to take its place.  
  
After a while, the defenders were being worn down.  
  
But it still would have worked. No one thought it would be any less than bloody.  
  
It was working.  
  
It fell apart when it came time to open the breach. The one they were going to push the Horsemen through.  
  
Willow had been positioned partially down the hill Nat stood atop. Not far to her right, around the curve of the hill, but not far enough so she could not see him, was Giles. Waiting patiently for the signal.   
  
She had wanted to be able to see him. It made her feel less vulnerable, less alone. She wished she had not.  
  
A signal. With the rest of the Magi, Wizards, and Apprentices, Willow lifted her glowing staff high into the air. She felt the surge of energy transmitted, from other Magi, Wizards, others, who could not be there. But participated by sending their energies. It was their world too.  
  
Willow sent a few experimental blasts into the Horde, was satisfied. Prepared herself, focused, on the part she was to play.  
  
The command came, she raised her staff, as did Giles.  
  
Then it happened.  
  
She still couldn't believe it.  
  
Giles spun and blasted away the top of the hill.  
  
Three more demons ashed, Willow's breaths came in harrowing gasps. She didn't know how much longer she could continue. Or even if she wanted to.  
  
*********************************************************  
  
Her hand tingled. True, Buffy had been using it all morning, and now well into the afternoon, but that's not why it tingled. She had been the closest to Giles. It tingled where it had connected with the back of his skull.  
  
Tears fell as she rebounded from a round house kick, not even noting the scream of agony caused by the Holy Water soaked sponges that lined her boots. Her knife slipped into the belly of another, plastic sheaths pressed together, compressing sponges placed next to the cutting edge. The demon shrieked.  
  
Her hand tingled.  
  
***********************************************************  
  
Every muscle screamed as she pulled her sword from the body of yet anoother demon. Cordelia jerked it up just in time to parry a thrust from a fresh foe, and wished that she was better at this. True, she'd managed to hold her own, running on adrenalin and sheer determination. She didn't expect it to last much longer.  
  
***********************************************************  
  
"Angel! Over here."  
  
Angel peered through the encroaching dusk to see Xander waving frantically, or at least doing the best he could to get his attention. Considering he was the focal point of a group of demons, it wasn't half bad. Angel snarled, and dove into the fray.  
  
"What happened," he asked when he reached Xander's side.  
  
"What didn't," Xander grunted skewering another demon on his twin bladed staff. "Nothing right. See that girl over there?"  
  
Angel looked quickly to see Heidi Thorensen fighting off a demon a little to their right.  
  
"I need you to get her over to that hill. They're getting ready to try again."  
  
"Done," snapped Angel, thrusting away another demon. "Be back soon's I can."  
  
"No, your job is to get Willow to the top of that hill."  
  
"Willow?"  
  
"She's pinch hitting for Carpenter, without her it all falls apart."  
  
Angel started to say something but stared as a knife point slammed into Xander.   
  
"Angel GO," Xander screamed.  
  
Angel roared, as he watched Xander fall to his knees, knifing his attacker as he went down. He moved forward, but Xander shook his head, jerking an arm towards Heidi.   
  
Angel had never liked Xander much, always finding him annoying, but now he found an overwhelming desire to save him. But he had a job to do, and he understood the importance of getting it done.  
  
A demon shreiked as Angel spun away, grabbing Heidi's arm, praying that Xander was right. That he would somehow find a way to stay alive.  
  
***********************************************************  
  
Her whole body was on fire, and she knew it was almost over. Even a Slayer could reach the end of her rope. She didn't know if she really cared.  
  
In quick succession, she ashed two demons, and was turning to the third, when ... When what? She didn't know, but it was like being encased in silly putty, she could barely move. She brought her stake up, but didn't think she could do anything with it, didn't know what to do with it if she could do anything.  
  
But watch open mouthed as two figures slammed into the demon facing her.   
  
"Another time Slayer, and I would enjoy meeting you like this," whispered a voice in her ear, as strong arms lifted her into a carry hold. "But not tonight. You fought the good fight, and its time for you to rest."  
  
************************************************************  
  
Even demons can get tired, and the horde reeled back against itself under the onslaught of Spike's vampire army.   
  
************************************************************  
  
Angel and Heidi reached the hill, to find an exhausted Willow just barely fending off a demon, while another circled to get behind her.   
  
Willow never even looked back, stabbing at the one in front of her. Her hair was a mess, her eyes red and streaming. Her movements jerky and awkward.  
  
Angel tookout the one behind her.  
  
"Where's Buffy?"   
  
"Don't know," gasped Willow. "Don't care, just want to get this over with. Ask Xander."  
  
Angel looked about to ask again, but the mention of Xander's name reminded him that he had a job to do."  
  
"Willow, Xander says their going to try again. You have to take Carpenter's place. You up to it?"  
  
Willow nodded, and glanced at the top of the hill, counting the demons up there. "Does it matter?"  
  
"No, I guess it doesn't," Angel glanced over as Cordelia slipped away from a demon, her blasde dripping with gore. She ran up.   
  
"About time you showed," she panted. "Got a plan."  
  
"Just to get Willow up there," he pointed to the top of the hill. "I'm freshest, so I'll go first. Then Willow, then Heidi, then you. Heidi, you stop off where you think you need to be, Cordy, stay with her, keep her alive."  
  
"Hey, who's going to keep me alive?" Cordelia gripped her sword tighter, and fell into place. "I'd like to live too."  
  
"So would we all," Angel smiled thinly, and started up the hill, towards the demons up there. He counted a dozen, some of them starting down to flank them. "So would we all."  
  
***********************************************************  
  
Willow stood at the top of the hill. An exhausted Angel had managed to get her up there, where she was told to rest and wait for the signal.   
  
Oz had appeared out of nowhere, and now, all wolfed out, he tore into anything that tried to come near her.   
  
A grateful Angel had disappeared down the hill to help a beseiged Cordelia, who was madly dancing the dance of death with three demons.  
  
A voice whispered in her mind to take her position. It was now or never. She straightened, concentrated and twelve bands of runes glowed on her staff. She raised it, felt the surge of power.  
  
"She thought of a door."  
  
Heidi's power joined hers, and the door grew stronger, and manifested itself behind the Demon Princes, who had been bunched together, by the concentrated efforts of Magi, Wicca's, and other magic users.   
  
She rejoiced as she realised why she had been kept out of the magickal part of the fight. The power roared through her, andshe grasped it weilded it, knitted it into the door that was needed. She despaired as she felt life force energies add themselves to the power she weided, neede to get through the dimension. Prayed that where ever the Horsemen ended up, they would get what they deserved.   
  
Mage lights appeared on surrounding hills, concentrated on one side. Energies slammed into the Horsemen, who fought back with a terrible skill. But they too had been exhausted, by the attrition they had been under all day. They could barely hold against such concentrated fire.  
  
They held for as long as they could.  
  
But eventually they took the path of least resistance, and with a roar of defiance, that promised an eventual return, they were forced through the door.   
  
The door was slammed shut.  
  
Willow collapsed.  
  
************************************************************  
  
"Hi." Buffy sat down beside Willow, and glanced out over the valley. Three weeks ago, they'd saved the world once again, at this very spot, and now you wouldn't know it. Scouring winds had blown the ash to sea, not even the grass was trampled.   
  
"Meg thought you would be here, and when you didn't show up for a while, we began to wonder..."  
  
"If I was all right," Willow finished for her. "I'm fine, couldn't be better. I just got a lot of thinking to do."  
  
"About?" Buffy pursed her lips. She too had done a lot of thinking, about her future, being back with the Council, having Xander as her Watcher. Getting her life back to normal.  
  
"Stuff," Willow looked down. "How's Xander?"  
  
"Still in the hospital, you should go see him. Everyone's amazed he's still alive, especially Xander." Buffy leaned back on her arms. "Cordy says that as soon as you slammed the door shut, Angel started looking for him. Didn't think he cared, but he found him. He was barely alive."  
  
"So whatcha been thinking about?"  
  
"Professor Hauptmann thinks I should go to Italy, when the terms over, so I can spend a couple months at the Academy, learning how to be a Magus."  
  
"Wait, whoa." Buffy held up a hand. "You're going to be the Magus?"  
  
Willow picked up her staff, which was laying on the ground beside her. A barely whispered word, and twelve runic rings appeared, glowing on the staff.   
  
"As Nat's Apprentice, I took his place when he died. They made it official. I just got to learn more about the rights and responsibilities of being a Magus."  
  
"You gonna do it?"  
  
"I bought the farm." Willow changed the subject.  
  
"You what?"  
  
"Meg says it has too many bad memories, and I think she wants to go back to Italy. The Academy wants her to stay on as my housekeeper, do for me what she did for Nat. I have some money from an inheritance, and Dad's going to help."  
  
"I told Meg there'd always be a place for her here. She says she'd like that." Willow glanced at the staff. "She might stay. Her family's been tending to Maguses, Magii, what ever, for centuries and she doesn't want to be sent to some stranger. I think she'd like a holiday first, before she decides."  
  
The two girls sat in silence, atop the sun drenched hill, each lost in their own thoughts.   
  
"Why did he do it?" Willow was the first to break the silence.  
  
"Who, Nat, or Giles." Buffy thought a moment. "Xander thinks Giles might have been taken over while he was in that coma. He wasn't found after.." Buffy nearly choked. "It's hard to see how he could've survived."  
  
"He did," Willow stared straight ahead. "I think I'd know if he didn't"  
  
Buffy nodded, but kept her thoughts to herself. Part of her rejoiced that her substitute father might have survived. Part of her, the greater art, dreaded the thought of ever seeing him again. Part of her feared that she would not. She couldn't dwell n it.  
  
"I think Nat did it because someone had to."  
  
"But no one's ever going to know will they?"  
  
Buffy sighed. Willow was right. Local residents had moved back in, believing the military's story, and who could blame them. Nothing looked disturbed. The valley was as green with grass as ever. As for those who had actually witnessed the events, hellmouth blindness had set in with a vengeance.  
  
"That's not why he did it." Buffy sat up and suddenly grinned. "That doesn't mean that we can't do something, to memorialize this spot." Excitedly she ransacked her bag, and drew out a wide bladed knife, hammer, and chisel. "Never know what your going to need."  
  
"Buffy what," Willow began as Buffy began digging into the grass.  
  
"I did some research. Bedrocks real close to the surface. C'mon help me dig."  
  
Even with Slayer strength and magick enhanced muscles, it took some time to clear enough space for what Buffy wanted. Taking the hammer and chisel, in deep letters, she wrote "Nathaniel Carpenter". Underneath, she wrote a series of Greek characters.  
  
"Buffy, what was that last word." Willow patted the last piece of grass in place, effectively hiding away the carving.  
  
"It's greek for Thermopylae."  
  
"Oh, where the Spartans met the Persians."  
  
"You know about that?" Buffy looked confused, only for a moment. "Of course you did." She grinned at her friend. "You know Wills, some day, just once, I want to know something you don't"  
  
"Never happen," Willow grinned.  
  
Buffy smiled. Beat you to the bottom."  
  
The spell was half formed, when dismissed and the red haired Magus tore off after her friend.  
  
FINISHED.  
  
  
  
  



End file.
